Neuropathic Pain

With migraines more than twice as prevalent in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome as in those without, it is clear there is a link between carpal tunnel syndrome and migraine.

Patient-controlled analgesia appears to be statistically and clinically superior to standard pain control in emergency department patients with non-traumatic abdominal pain.

Pain is prevalent in 63% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study, and psychosocial factors may be key contributors to the severity of that pain.

Perhaps even more controversial than the placebo effect is its converse, the nocebo effect-an adverse reaction to an ineffectual medication or procedure. For example, simply talking with a patient about potential side effects of a medication as part of an informed consent process can itself contribute to producing adverse effects.

A two-step treatment plan that combines pharmaceutical analgesics, self-management strategies, and cognitive behavioral therapy is associated with greater improvements in pain severity and pain-related disability in veterans compared with usual care.

While it was recently determined that endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER) plays an intricate role in neuropathic pain, a team from Hiroshima University has found another factor that contributes to pain.

Chronic pain is just one of many conditions that may be treated with an innovative stem cell-based therapy, according to researchers at Duke University.

A study examined the analgesic efficacy and safety of previously untested combinations of dexketoprofen trometamol and tramadol hydrochloride given as four different fixed combinations and as single components in comparison to placebo for patients experiencing moderate to severe acute pain following tooth extraction.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will require manufacturers to update labels in order to red flag possible serious side effects associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Chicago-based pain specialist Scott Glaser, MD, is on a crusade. He wants his colleagues to stop using an injection technique that paralyzed his own patient.

Low back pain is notoriously difficult to treat in common patients. For pregnant patients, who experience low back pain at significantly higher rates, pain management specialists can face some additional and unique challenges.

Study results suggest that brain inflammation resulting from chronic nerve pain appears to alter activity in brain regions that regulate mood and motivation. The findings indicate, for the first time, a direct biophysical relationship between long-term pain and the co-morbid anxiety, depression, and substance abuse observed in more than 50% of patients with chronic nerve pain.

Not only have researchers uncovered a key factor that drives neuropathic pain, they have also identified a strategy to reverse it.

Pain and itching may be controlled by cells on the spinal cord, according to research published in Neuron.

A recent study looked at the effect from injections of recombinant human growth hormone (HGH) and testosterone to the painful and dysfunctional areas in patients with chronic lower back pain.

Researchers have found a genetic cause for the increased coronary artery disease risk experienced by some patients with migraine; however, this relationship may be limited to those who suffer from a specific kind of migraine.

Various risk factors have been identified as contributors to low back pain.

Research has shown that massage therapy is more effective than no therapy at all. A recent study sought to determine if there is a link between massage duration and effective analgesia for neck pain.

A recent study looked into the neural functions affected by ibuprofen and found some connections that may soon lead to a much greater understanding of the greatest pain mitigator of them all: the brain.

Weighing the pros and cons of prescription opioid use for chronic pain is an ongoing battle, and new research may have just added to the list of disadvantages.

With 259 million painkiller prescriptions written in 2012 alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of the most common side effects experienced by patients being treated for chronic pain is opioid-induced constipation (OIC).

Pain is widely considered the "fifth vital sign" – and for good reason. By some estimates, pain accounts for as much as 4 out of every 5 doctor visits in the US. Thus, learning more about the correlates and determinants of pain is particularly important.

For the first time, researchers have evidence identifying the key cells behind the pain imbalance between genders.

Physical therapy and exercise regimens have been found by many studies to be beneficial to patients with fibromyalgia. But what types of exercise are appropriate for patients who experience persistent, widespread pain, and who may be suffering sleep disturbance, joint stiffness, and many other interrelated symptoms?

Chronic pain may not be as immediately urgent or life-threatening as cancer, a cardiac event, or kidney disease. But as pain management specialists and pain patients see every day, the long-term effects of chronic pain on patients' lives can be nothing short of debilitating.

Non-viral gene therapy can temporarily reduce painful diabetic neuropathy, according to research from Northwestern Medicine.

A new opioid will soon be on the market now that final approval from the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has been confirmed.

Although some studies have hinted at a possible role for metformin in pain management, a recent investigation found no difference in pain scores among diabetic patients who used metformin and those who did not

The vast majority of oncology research is dedicated to finding medications that either cure or more effectively manage the disease. But what about cancer patients in later life or those who are suffering from late-stage cancer, for whom a cure is unlikely? A study recently published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management provides several interesting insights into patient attitudes toward symptom control for late-stage cancer and the potential impacts of such treatment.

Potentially addictive opioids may be avoidable thanks to a new treatment pathway for chronic pain and other painful conditions by focusing on genetics.