Pain

The strongest pain pill prescriptions come with the potential risk of addiction. For patients who are already battling the disease, finding pain relief presents quite a challenge.

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Researchers caution that Pregabalin, an agent approved by the FDA to treat epilepsy, fibromyalgia, and neuropathic pain, may be associated with an increased risk of major birth defects after first trimester exposure, though results are inconclusive.

In an extensive review of previous studies and trials, the European League Against Rheumatism has assigned recommendations for and against various pharmacological and non-pharmacological fibromyalgia treatments.

The field of population health may still be a relatively new venture but work is being done on a variety of levels to raise its profile and make it a larger contributor to the medical community as a whole.

For many veteran doctors there may be a leaning toward staying the course that has guided them through their careers. As times change there have been signs that doctors must also adapt to the changing medical landscape.

There may not be a lot known about population medicine across the medical community but those involved believe as more is known about the specialty the more benefit it can provide for doctors and patients alike.

At the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting in Chicago the opening discussion in front of thousands of the top doctors across the country focused on a developing specialty aimed at improving patient health in non-traditional ways.

With doctors having busy schedules to begin with it can be difficult to help patients who may have an addiction or issue with opioids. Taking a few extra minutes can sometimes make all the difference in helping these vulnerable patients avoid a much worse scenario.

Formerly known as alternative or complimentary medicine, integrative medicine is a new venture in the field aiming to bring together the best of traditional care and other approaches to help patients in a variety of specialties.

As if hours of childbirth aren’t grueling enough, pain is one of the most common postpartum complaints from women in the United States. However, New York-based physicians found that osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) eases pain and treats tissue abnormalities in this population.

A new study out of Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) is the first to show a direct link between pain level and risk of opioid addiction – and the increased risk is substantial.

The traditional sublingual delivery method of buprenorphine has revealed adherence issues in patients, but the implant version appears to have fixed that problem.

Pain management remains to be a challenging area for clinicians, nurses, and medical residents – and it doesn't matter how long they've been in the field.

Survey results suggest nearly one-half of parents whose child had leftover prescription opioids following a surgery or for an illness keep the pain medication in the home.

The Pain Beliefs Questionnaire (PBQ) has proven to be effective as a 32-item survey, but researchers found it is still reliable when cut down to 18 items.

Prescription drug policies are designed to curb overdose deaths, but at the same time they could be hurting patients who really need the medications.

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has proven its safety and efficacy in many trials, but data backing subtypes of the treatment are lacking.

A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that most patients who visit the emergency room for nontraumatic chest pain are rarely in a life-threatening situation.

Although patients commonly take opioids to relieve chronic back pain, there is no concrete evidence supporting this strategy.

The impact of social touch, or segmental tactile stimulation, has been explored in that past, but the underlying mechanism is far from fully understood.

Though it may seem logical that people who are prescribed opioids to treat pain after surgery are at risk of becoming chronic users, a study of privately insured patients showed that the risk is slight. Over 99 percent of patients in the retrospective analysis recovered without turning to regular opioid use.

About 15% of complex postoperative pain patients end up developing moderate to severe chronic pain, becoming disabled, and using opioids long-term, according to a new study in the journal Pain Management.

The education of primary care providers and patients at the starting point of opioid therapy, as well as of surgeons and other prescribers, is crucial to curbing the current global opioid abuse epidemic.

While looking to find ways to treat patients with pain beyond opioids a considerable amount of research has been done looking at alternative medications and treatments that can provide relief without the potential risks of addiction.

In the struggle against the growing opioid epidemic the CDC recently announced new guidelines aimed at helping guide doctors on when to prescribe this form of medication and what other steps can be done to help patients.

Pain management can be a daunting problem for physicians and patients alike. The development of new treatments can go a long way in helping patients maintain a high quality of life.

While lifestyle medicine may not be at the forefront of the field today those who practice it believe it can be an invaluable tool in the future.

Lifestyle modifications has become a popular phrase throughout medicine. However, telling patients about changes they should make and ensuring they make those changes are two very different issues in most cases.

Parents pass down hair color, eye color, risk of health problems, and many other traits to their children – but what about a condition without any real biomarker or physical appearance?