news, journals and articles from all over the world.
This study comprehensively documents rising levels of chronic pain among Americans aged 25-84 to show that pain prevalence — already high at baseline — increased substantially from 2002-18, with increases evident in all leading pain sites (joint, back, neck, jaw, and migraine).
The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine has joined 10 other pain societies in issuing a practice advisory on the use of gadolinium-based contrast agents. This off-label use is an alternative option for patients with hypersensitivity to the traditional contrast medium.
A gene therapy for chronic pain could offer a safer, non-addictive alternative to opioids. Researchers at the University of California San Diego developed the new therapy, which works by temporarily repressing a gene involved in sensing pain. It increased pain tolerance in mice, lowered their sensitivity to pain and provided months of pain relief without causing numbness.
For the first time, an app has been shown to reduce key symptoms of chronic pain. A UNH-led study evaluated the impact of Manage My Pain(MMP), a digital health solution on chronic pain patients.
Inflammation is a hallmark of chronic pain, and scientists at the UNC School of Medicine have discovered that anti-inflammatory cells called MRC1+ macrophages are dysfunctional in an animal model of neuropathic pain.
According to some estimates, chronic pain affects up to 40% of Americans, and treating it frustrates both clinicians and patients––a frustration that’s often compounded by a hesitation to prescribe opioids for pain.
For patients receiving spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for chronic pain, integration with an immersive virtual reality (VR) system – allowing patients to see as well as feel the effects of electrical stimulation on a virtual image of their own body – can enhance the pain-relieving effectiveness of SCS, reports a study in PAIN®, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Neuromonitoring has been used in the fields of neurological and orthopedic surgery for years but has just recently made its debut in SCS implantation. There are limited studies observing neuromonitoring in this application, so doctors have shared the case study of a patient who successfully underwent the procedure and reported 90% pain reduction one week later.
Researchers are looking at the potential of a technique called differential target multiplexed programming (DTMP) to reduce chronic pain by targeting certain proteins linked to inflammation.
US veterans with unhealthy alcohol use who reduce their drinking may gain some improvement in chronic pain symptoms and use of other substances, according to a study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Hazardous drinking is common in the US, and frequently co-occurs with chronic pain, depression and anxiety, and with tobacco, cannabis or cocaine use. Many people use alcohol and other substances to mask or self-manage pain and psychiatric symptoms, although there is little evidence to support such use. If, conversely, a reduction in drinking (or use of treatment for alcohol misuse) were to benefit co-occurring conditions or substance use, this could support an integrated approach to screening or treatment. The new analysis assessed the impact of drinking reduction on improvement of chronic pain, psychiatric symptoms, and other substance use among US veterans with unhealthy alcohol use – a population with high rates of these co-occurring conditions.
The NIH has awarded NYU College of Dentistry researchers Nigel Bunnett, PhD, and Brian Schmidt, DDS, MD, PhD, a $3.9 million grant to study targeting endosomal receptors for the treatment of chronic pain. The five-year grant will support Bunnett and Schmidt’s collaborative research, which aims to ultimately yield improved pain management without the need for opioids.
Athletes commonly experience pain in practice and competition. Inadequate or inappropriate pain management in adolescent athletes can lead to a lifetime of consequences including increased risk of opioid misuse. A team physician consensus statement just released by ACSM and 5 other sports medicine organizations shares guidelines to identify and manage pain in athletes ages 10 to 18.
A study led by Prof. Mike Fainzilber identifies a potential new approach to treating chronic pain: targeting an importin molecule that moves pain messages into nerve cell nuclei. The team can now “conduct screens for new and better drug molecules that can precisely target this chain of events in the sensory neurons.”
Medical cannabis is finally being put under the microscope, in a first-of-its-kind real world evidence study led by Dr. Hance Clarke, Toronto General Hospital. In the Medical Cannabis Real-World Evidence trial patients using the online portal created by Medical Cannabis by Shoppers, will know exactly what is in their product and its effectiveness.
University of Utah biomedical engineering assistant professor Jan Kubanek has discovered that sound waves of high frequency (ultrasound) can be emitted into a patient’s brain to alter his or her state. It’s a non-invasive treatment that doesn’t involve medications or surgery and has a unique potential to treat mental disorders including depression and anxiety and neurological disorders such as chronic pain and epilepsy.
Gender identity and genetic sex are distinctly variable when it comes to pain tolerance, according to a study published in the Journal of Pain Research.
Eight trailblazing women in regional anesthesia and pain medicine are being honored for their achievements and contributions to the field as part of the ASRA Trailblazer Awards. Created to acknowledge potential for bias in the past, the program is part of the “Year of Women in ASRA,” so named by ASRA President Dr. Eugene Viscusi. Other components of the campaign include year-round highlights of prominent women in the field on the ASRA website and social media channels, greater recognition of gender disparities at meetings, improved data collection to continue to assess our progress representing the field, and, most importantly, development of an organizational plan to identify and correct disparities across all minority groups.
Samer Narouze, MD, PhD, is one of a group of experts who have developed guidance…
A team of researchers at the University of Arizona has found that low-intensity ultrasound waves directed at a particular region of the brain’s prefrontal cortex in healthy subjects can elevate mood, and decrease connectivity in a brain network that has been shown to be hyperactive in psychiatric disorders. The method uses transcranial focused ultrasound (‘tFUS’), a painless, non-invasive technique to modulate brain function comparable to transcranial magnetic stimulation (‘TMS’), and transcranial direct current stimulation (‘tDCS’). This study shows, for the first time, a correlation between tFUS-induced mood enhancement, and reorganization of brain circuits.
Chronic pain affects a large proportion of older adults and most long-term care residents. Managing chronic pain effectively is essential but challenging, and it has been complicated by concerns about opioid abuse.
When chronic pain keeps children from being active and social, it’s no surprise that anxiety and depression can become unwelcome playmates. The good news: there is help, and it starts with recognizing that a problem exists.
Every day nearly 200 people die from an overdose of drugs or from alcohol poisoning, with opioids responsible for the majority. Recognizing the signs and knowing how to respond to medical emergencies, including carrying and administering naloxone in cases of opioid overdose, can save lives says the ASA.
A series of seven articles in AACN Advanced Critical Care focuses on the challenges of safe, effective pain management in the ICU, including more Americans reporting daily chronic pain and the rapidly increasing prevalence of opioid misuse and opioid use disorder.
New research shows how second-degree burns cause hard-to-treat chronic pain, and this understanding may be key to treating these complications, common in war veterans.
A new online program can help patients receive behavioral health care for chronic pain, fatigue and depressed mood from the comfort of their home.
Hands Down Better, a website launched by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), is a new resource for those who seek alternatives to pain medications and surgery for common musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain, neck pain, joint pain and headaches.
A Tulane University researcher is part of a nationwide initiative to improve treatment of chronic pain and ultimately achieve long-term recovery from opioid addiction.
Michael J. Moore, professor of biomedical engineering in the Tulane School of Science and Engineering, is part of a $945 million National Institutes of Health project called the HEAL Initiative, or Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced new guidelines for appropriate…
Inspired by his time working for the Air Force and caring for wounded veterans, University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences doctoral candidate Josh Van Wyngaarden now studies ways to prevent chronic pain in those who have suffered traumatic leg injuries.
Patients who have chosen to treat chronic pain with implanted peripheral nerve stimulation no longer need to be tethered permanently to the device. According to findings from a study in amputees, placing the device for just 60 days resulted in sustained pain relief and functional improvements.
Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Virginia retrospectively analyzed patient records see if side effects increased after repeated infusions. They actually found a couple of benefits.
Colleagues at the University of California at Irvine have developed an electronic prescription drug accountability program to keep track of prescribing among hospitalists, primary care physicians, and emergency department physicians within an institution.
According to research from investigators at Millennium Pain Center and Lumbrera, LLC, targeting of microglial activation phenotypes, such as the M1 and M2, may help control patients’ chronic pain.
Dr. Mark J. Lema, State University of New York (SUNY) Distinguished Service Professor and Chair of Anesthesiology at SUNY at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has been selected to receive ASRA’s 2019 Distinguished Service Award.
Nagy Mekhail, MD, PhD, professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, has been selected to receive the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) 2019 John J. Bonica Award.
A team of researchers at the University of Georgia will study how legalized medical cannabis affects people living with chronic pain.
Dr. Brian Sites, medical director of the acute pain medicine service at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, has accepted the position of editor-in-chief for the Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine journal.
Hardly a day goes by without the public being warned about the dangers of opioids. But still, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 130 people die every day of opioid overdose and the problem is getting worse. A Houston Methodist pain specialist says new advancements in pain management are giving patients options.
A recent study found that people with chronic lower back pain who performed self-administered acupressure experienced improvement in pain and fatigue symptoms.