Chronic Pain

Do National Prescription Drug Takeback Programs really make an impact on opioid misuse and diversion? Why doesn't the DEA go after people who overdose on opioids that were probably diverted?

Up to one-quarter of the 1.6 million amputees in the United States develop painful neuromas that can interfere with even the most carefully fitted prosthetic devices.

Scientists studying patients with chronic pain have uncovered four specific genes that are associated with pain perception.

Following the approval of Zohydro last year, attorneys general across the country requested the FDA reconsider its decision until the medication could be reformulated to include abuse-deterrent properties. Now, two states have moved to reduce access to Zohydro. Will the courts uphold these decisions, or will other states follow in their wake?

Family physicians have the opportunity to become leaders in the chronic pain care blueprint.

Noting the management and treatment of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) are currently subpar in the primary care setting, 2 researchers recently reviewed and outlined key clinical considerations for the chronic neuropathic pain syndrome.

Patients who also responded positively to preoperative non-invasive transcranial stimulation analgesic effect were more likely to experience long-term benefit from MCS.

The newly approved naloxone auto-injector has the potential to save many lives, but should not be viewed as the Holy Grail of the ongoing fight to prevent overdose deaths from opioid abuse and misuse.

Among Medicare beneficiaries with 4 or more pain medicine providers, concurrent opioid prescribing is common and significantly associated with increased rates of hospital admission related to narcotic use.

Morbidly or severely obese individuals develop migraine disorders significantly more often than patients who carry less weight.

For patients suffering from hip bursitis, platelet-rich plasma treatment is more effective than steroids, according to a study presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Scientists are able to predict the body's response to neuropathic pain treatment, according to a study presented at the 30th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.

Scientists are developing an oral chronic pain suppressant derived from the venom of cone snails.

In a recent pilot study, primary care providers (PCPs) who regularly consulted with pain management specialists through telehealth technology wrote fewer prescriptions for the high-dose, short-acting opioid analgesics that are widely associated with greater rates of addiction and overdose.

While the peak of the opioid epidemic may now have been reached (according to some), we are not out of the woods. Every decision to start or continue opioid therapy must be careful, deliberate, and weigh benefit against risk, while keeping in mind that risk is not constant/static, but dynamic and evolves through time.

Since family physicians are more likely to adhere to a patient-centered biopsychosocial model than specialist physicians who treat chronic pain, primary care seems to be the logical "home" for its treatment.

Osteoarthritis (OA) patients who experienced pain had brain mechanisms similar to fibromyalgia (FM) patients, according to a study published in the European Journal of Neuroscience.

Since pain typically presents before bone lesions are displayed on radiographs, a true diagnosis may be overlooked and the early stages can be easily missed.

Purdue Pharma L.P. has developed an abuse-resistant drug to treat chronic low back pain.

According to a recent systematic review, the prescient and short-term use of NSAIDs and opioids with pharmacological sensitivity to an individual's comorbidities may result in pain relief, improved functioning, and reduced vocational and avocational absenteeism.

As long-term cancer survival rates continue to surge, an increasing percentage of patients with cancer-related pain are progressing to the chronic pain arena, which necessitates more contemporary treatment approaches to cancer pain management.