Neuropathic Pain

Researchers from Indiana University recently reported on a marijuana-based alternate for managing chemotherapy-induced neuropathy that demonstrated sustained efficacy without the tolerance, physical withdrawal, and side effects seen with traditionally used medical marijuana.

Electrical pulses targeting the dorsal column were effective in treating Parkinson's disease-like symptoms in mice.

The special interest group on neuropathic pain revised a previous systematic review and meta-analysis of the oral and topical agents to be used for neuropathic pain in adults.

Treatments for women in pain must differ from men's treatment, and often is, according to a study by the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

A team of investigators from the University of California (UC) Davis has discovered a compound that can potentially combat chronic pain by blocking key chemicals.

Researchers say "scrambler therapy" can be used to treat pediatric complex regional pain syndrome.

Rheumatoid arthritis pain has been alleviated in half of patients enrolled in a study which used an electrical implanted device to emit magnetic pulses at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Morphine was shown to cause respiratory problems in children with post-operative pain, though ibuprofen was a safe alternative.

A review of painful diabetic neuropathy treatments concluded that, while there is no one true effective treatment for all forms of neuropathic pain, many options are still to be explored.

The 5 percent lidocaine medicated plaster was efficacious and well tolerated in patients with localized neuropathic pain, according to findings published in the International Journal of General Medicine.

The new formulation of Zohydro ER uses technology that provides abuse-deterrent properties without changing the release properties of hydrocodone when the medication is used properly.

Breast cancer patients who believed acupuncture would reduce their joint pain demonstrated significant pain reduction, no matter if they received real or placebo acupuncture.

Chronic lower back pain patients did not experience reduced time to first moderate pain in a treadmill test using pregabalin, according to a report published in Neurology.

Young baseball players experience alarming rates of arm pain and are often encouraged to play through it, according to findings published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

Diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) can exist with or without neuropathic pain. Roughly half of patients with types I and II diabetes mellitus (DM) develop DPN. In type 1 DM, patients start to notice symptoms of distal polyneuropathy after many years of chronic prolonged hyperglycemia. It's more aggressive in type 2 DM, and can develop after only a few years of known poor glycemic control and may be present at diagnosis.

Pfizer announced pregabalin controlled release was effective therapy in adult postherpetic neuralgia patients.

Investigators believe they may have identified a potential "off switch" for pain, according to study results published in the journal Brain.

Diabetics often experience peripheral neuropathy. In an estimated 30% to 50% of patients, this condition results in pain. The most common painful neuropathy is distal symmetric sensorimotor polyneuropathy.

Microvascular disease is a concern in patients with diabetes, and follows hyperglycemia-induced endothelial damage or endothelial dysfunction. Diabetic neuropathy is the most prominent microvascular consequence of diabetes, and often, the foot is involved.

The current issue of The Lancet takes a deep dive into the World War I treatment of phantom limb pain and amputated limb patients.

Almost everyone has episodes of low back pain (LBP) from time to time. Fortunately, most episodes of LBP are considered acute, and resolve within 6 to 12 weeks. When LBP pain persists and becomes chronic, treatment is considerably more complicated and often leads the patient to the surgical suite.

Administration of the varicella zoster vaccine is safe in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or other rheumatic conditions who are taking biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, according to study results presented at the 2014 American College of Rheumatology annual meeting.

After a period of 6 months from post herpetic neuralgia onset, patients often report chronic pain, according to a study conducted in Rome, Italy.

Carpal tunnel syndrome pain is effectively reduced using topical menthol gel, according to a study from Denmark.

Pain and depression, but not disability, stem from sleep disturbances in patients with osteoarthritis, suggests a study published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Currently studies are underway to refine a surgical approach for migraine headaches, determine the best way to triage patients, identify additional trigger points, and expand knowledge of migraine's anatomy.

Studying vascular endothelial growth factor could lead to a new type of painkiller, according to a study published in Neurobiology of Disease.

Knowledgeable practitioners can effectively discuss pathophysiology and treatment strategies for amplified pain with patients and prescribe a treatment approach that does not require drug therapy for pain or sleep aids.

The first principle of diagnosis is localization in order to optimize the differential diagnosis and avoid unnecessary testing.

Results from a study of herpes zoster incidence following periods of acute stress in a large cohort of patients suggest the conventional wisdom on this subject may be wrong.