Neuropathic Pain

Yale University researchers used mice models to explain the brain's response to marijuana in respect to appetite and "getting the munchies."

Researchers in China tested heat stimuli on patients with and without Parkinson's disease to examine the pain brain relationship.

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.

Cell phones may offer more than just a way to connect to people around the world. A study from researchers at Cornell University has linked use of the technology to pain reduction.

The opioid epidemic began nearly 30 years ago and since that time small steps have been taken to reverse its effects. The question remains whether too much damage has already been done to fix the problems in a timely manner.

For many years the dangers of opioid addiction have been well known. Taking the steps needed to reverse its impact has been slower in taking hold across the country.

Acute compartment syndrome is a surgical emergency of increased pressure within one of the body's muscle- and nerve-containing compartments, usually in the leg or arm. It occurs when accumulation of necrotic debris and hemorrhage (especially after fracture) increases intra-compartmental pressure, and that pressure exceeds the interstitium's capillary perfusion pressure.

Canada- and Switzerland-based researchers discovered that a specific gene, that is typically associated with a rare disease, plays an important role in how pain is processed in the body.

While skin biopsies can give insight to epidermal innervation after a nerve injury, properly identifying pain becomes more challenging in those with neuropathy.

A new study has found evidence that a specific genetic mutation may cause afflicted patients to feel more intense neuropathic pain.

While Lyme disease is often associated with painful symptoms, inflammation in the peripheral and central nervous systems can increase the discomfort.

Patients with HIV are at increased risk for herpes zoster, though the incidence of herpes zoster in this population has declined since the introduction of combined antiretroviral therapy, according to findings published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The combination of nortriptyline and morphine appears to offer superior efficacy in providing relief from chronic neuropathic pain than monotherapy with either agent.

The rates of opioid misuse among US patients with chronic pain appear to average about 25%, according to the results of a recently published systematic review and data synthesis.

A case study published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports about one patient with syringomyelia demonstrated the common confusion about diagnosing this disease.

Interventional pain management physicians are looking at bringing back an old therapy: destroying pain-causing nerves with cryo-ablation.

Deep brain stimulation stimulating the ventral posterolateral nucleus was effective in reducing neuropathic pain, according to findings from Korean research centers.

An expert on both flight and medical safety, author John Nance tells physicians the recent crash of a German Wings jet holds lessons for medicine as well as aviation.

Interventional pain management-the field of helping patients with acute or chronic pain without doing major surgery--is a both a growing specialty and one that is under assault. As the annual meeting of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians got underway in Orlando, FL today, group leaders outlined the organization's political agenda.

For some patients the first treatment they receive to help manage their pain is opioid medication. Recent studies have looked at whether staying on these prescriptions for long periods of time can do more harm than good.

Treating drug-resistant trigeminal neuralgia with stereotactic radiosurgery with linear accelerators is effective and safe, based on a literature review published in Pain Physician.

A new poll from the National Sleep Foundation reveals that pain joins two related concerns -- stress and poor health -- as key correlates of shorter sleep duration and worse sleep quality.

A stepped-care intervention studied by researchers from the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis, the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University School of Medicine appears to statistically significantly improve pain-related disability among veterans of recent military operations.

Between relieving pain and speeding up recovery time after spinal surgery, a new study found various benefits associated with phone counseling.

What is currently considered to be the "gold standard" for post-shoulder surgery pain management may not be as effective as what once was believed.

As the use of long-term opioid therapy to treat chronic pain continues to be a hotly debated topic, a new study in PAIN analyzed the extent to which patients misuse their medications and the risk of addiction associated with these behaviors.

A drug targeting a bioactive lipid linked to neuropathic pain is pending FDA approval to begin a phase 1 clinical trial.

The number of abuse, addiction, and opioid poisoning diagnoses has decreased since the introduction of reformulated OxyContin, according to a study presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine's 31st Annual Meeting.

Data presented at AAPM 2015 show that moving hydrocodone from Schedule III to Schedule II has led to reduced access to combination hydrocodone medications and other hardships for patients.