Chronic Pain

While assessing treatment options for patients with post-traumatic brain injuries, a collaborative team of researchers discovered that oxygen chamber treatment may also benefit patients with fibromyalgia.

While most cases of shingles typically clear up in a matter of a few weeks, the condition has the ability to cause long-term problems.

In elderly patients who experience chronic, post-traumatic, lower-extremity ulcers, fractional carbon dioxide laser treatment was found to accelerate wound healing.

Despite the fact that the Lyme disease-causing bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi does not show antibiotic resistance, the illness continues to prove to be difficult to fight in the late stages.

When a child's pain is more than just a "boo-boo," determining the severity of the pain and a course of action can be extremely challenging.

Patients with gout may find relief from severe inflammatory pain due to recently explored peripheral system channels.

Chronic painful conditions can have a significant negative impact on a patient's quality of life, but are some conditions worse than others? A recent study sought to determine which chronic pain condition creates the biggest burden on patient quality of life.

The saying "it's all in your head" may not be that far off when it comes to pain, according to a new study measuring brain activity.

University of Toronto researchers have found a novel role for a cell membrane-anchored mediator in cancer pain. They suggest that the serine protease TMPRSS2-a gene previously shown to play a key role in some of the most aggressive forms of androgen-fuelled cancers-appears to be the trigger behind the most severe forms of cancer pain.

People with a rare inherited condition known as "congenial insensitivity to pain" (CIP), which makes it impossible for them to feel pain, may hold the answer to providing pain relief for patients suffering with chronic pain.

Patients with a range of pain conditions may face amplified discomfort based how on how they perceive their symptoms. The findings were presented at the 34th Annual American Pain Society Scientific Meeting in Palm Springs, CA.

If previous research has shown a correlation between chronic pain and depression, it's only natural that the same can be said about chronic pain and happiness – right? A new study shows that's not the case.

Opioid addiction is a serious problem that a subset of patients prescribed opioids for pain could face; however, the issue presents an even more slippery slope for those with chronic pain due to the long-term need for the drugs.

Patients' levels of anxiety and defensiveness are associated with how they view their chronic back pain, a new study showed.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia since 1995 have been assessing opioid-dependent patients with pain who are on methadone maintenance treatment.

A collaborative team from the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic recently examined the prevalence of migraines in patients with fibromyalgia. The study, presented at the 34th Annual American Pain Society Scientific Meeting in Palm Springs, CA, used patients from the Mayo Clinic Fibromyalgia Registry database.

The lack of biomarkers for some life-changing conditions makes diagnoses and treatments more challenging. A new study identified possible biological factors for certain painful diseases.

Competing theories have long been put forth to explain more about the cause of chronic pain, but a new study may finally have shed light on the mystery.

While maintaining high levels of physical activity may not appeal to many patients with fibromyalgia (FM), doing so may be the best way to help ease their pain.

Cases of prescription opioid misuse, abuse, and addiction are still on the rise, claiming thousands of lives each year.

Not only does poor sleep result in more pain for fibromyalgia patients, but it is also linked to a lower pain threshold.

Virtual reality experiments determined that the threshold of pain is increased when the participants do not know the degree of rotation is manipulated.

In a continuing effort to curb the spread of hepatitis C among the riskiest populations, government health officials recently held a webinar to discuss links between opioid injection drug use and increased cases of the liver disease.

Research from Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine indicates that opioid dispensing and prescription opioid overdoses decreased substantially following two major changes in the pharmaceutical market in 2010: the introduction of abuse-deterrent, extended-release oxycodone hydrochloride and withdrawal of propoxyphene.

In last month's Pain Perspectives, I discussed the importance of assessing patients with chronic pain for depression – as it is extremely prevalent in this population and has been found to interfere with physical treatment. This month, we will begin to look at what the primary care physician can do to ensure that their patients with chronic pain have their depression addressed adequately.

The brain chemical typically associated with emotions and other functions may be to blame for boosting chronic pain.

The next step in reducing and preventing neuropathic pain has been identified, according to researchers from UC Davis.

Research indicates that acetaminophen appears to have a general blunting effect on patients' evaluative and emotional processing, regardless of negative or positive valence.

Genetic mutations are not solely to blame for increased neuropathic pain and the way pain is processed in the brain. Norwegian researchers identified a link between a person's quality of sleep and pain sensitivity.

As more is learned about the diagnosis and treatment of CIDP the medical community is also learning how best to work with patients with the condition.