Chronic Pain

Medical cannabis significantly lowers the use of opioids in patients with chronic pain, according to a new study from the University of Michigan (U-M).

Research shows that a large majority of patients with chronic pain who are hospitalized after a nonfatal, prescription opioid-related overdose continue to receive this medication, despite discontinuation being associated with lower risk for repeat overdose.

Non-pharmacologic approaches to pain relief are always welcome, but options are limited, and those that are available do not always provide adequate analgesia.

The prescription opioid epidemic is a major problem, to say the least, and the number of overdoses has quadrupled since 1999. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released new guidelines designed to reduce prescription opioid misuse and abuse.

As patients seek help for chronic and acute pain problems doctors and health care professionals continue to seek new treatment options beyond surgery and medication.

With a continually growing opioid addiction new guidelines have been adopted looking to help fight this problem across the population. Some concerns have been raised about whether this will cause doctors to shy away from prescribing the medications for patients who can benefit most from them.

Pain is one area of medicine that continues to provoke questions, and a recent study suggests that exercise-induced pain is in a category of its own.

Fibromyalgia and sexual dysfunction are both conditions that affect more women than men; and now it looks like those who have the former are more likely to have the latter – especially if they have depression or anxiety.

People with moderate to severe chronic low back pain may benefit from osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) before resorting to surgery.

The benefits of acupuncture for fibromyalgia pain remain inconclusive despite extended research. However, a new study may have found the factor that separates successes from failure.

Looking at your bank statement after you got a little too spend-happy can be cringe-worthy, but it turns out that it can cause actual physical pain.

Neuropathic pain patients who are not prescribed opioid medications (such as morphine, codeine, and Tylenol 3) may experience more improvements in physical function.

A group of drugs originally designed to treat mood disorders was found to also help alleviate physical pain.

One of the main concerns tied to prescription painkillers is their addictive properties. But those worries may be put to rest with the development of a new drug that provides the same relief without the side effects.

Temple University Researchers suggest that a guideline created by Temple University Hospital and Temple University Hospital-Episcopal Campus for prescribing opioids in order to maximize safety and avoid misuse appears to significantly decrease the rate of opioid prescribing for minor and chronic non-cancer pain complaints in an acute care setting.

Chronic pain is more than just persistent pain and discomfort; new evidence indicates that the condition changes the patient’s DNA and immunity.

Study raises safety concerns about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients’ use of opioids at high rates.

Recently published reports show the immune system of spinal cord patients can be controlled using a family of therapeutic stem cells.

Patients suffering from chronic pain often ignore labels on over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, increasing their risk for gastrointestinal side effects and overdose.

Fibromyalgia and migraine headaches are just two pain conditions that debilitate millions of people. A new pain-relieving device has just been approved for both of the conditions, but there’s a catch.

Although children are also sufferers of chronic pain, the vast majority of research on treatment and just the condition in general is focused on adults. But a pain-relieving technique that has already proven its efficacy in the older population appears to be beneficial in the younger as well.

British research indicates that previous fracture appears to be associated with an increased likelihood of chronic widespread bodily pain, particularly with hip fractures in women, and spine fractures in both sexes.

Electrostimulation is becoming a growing trend in medicine as researchers find new ways to help patients better manage their pain symptoms.

Readmissions are a concern and a dilemma for hospitals across the nation as the federal government docks facilities when patients are readmitted within 30 days of discharge. It has caused a surge in research about the causes of readmission and strategies to avoid them.

What impact does adult spinal deformity really have on a patient's lives? A recent study aimed to answer this very question.

Ocular discomfort and pain are not uncommon for patients with dry eye; however, it may be surprising to hear that these patients may have more non-ocular pain conditions as well.

Alexithymia, the inability to identify and verbalize feelings--but not emotional repression--may be a predictor of chronic pain after breast cancer surgery.

Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CWP) felt throughout the body is a global problem that affects an estimated 10% to 15% of the general population, British researchers have found. But some societies report far more CWP than others.

Not only have researchers found that chronic pain remodels the region of the brain that controls emotions, but they also revealed a new combination treatment that uses drugs that are already on the market.

“What causes chronic pain?†may be one of the most daunting health questions frustrating patients and health care providers alike. A new study uncovered a strong correlation between patients with chronic pain who also have history of breaking a major bone.