Pain

Although a seemingly invisible condition, fibromyalgia (FM) may have an important connection with mental health symptoms.

Researchers in Brazil recently noted that marijuana use may mitigate some of the more severe psychiatric side effects associated with crack cocaine addiction, potentially making it easier for addicts to stop using the drug.

With funding meant to bolster basic research and help make advances for a variety of conditions the fate of the 21st Century Cure Act is anything but secure even after passage by the US House of Representatives.

Researchers are still trying to establish a sound definition of bladder pain syndrome, identify its pathophysiology, and suggest a treatment approach that moves beyond specialist care to more individualized treatment.

A recent study looked at the role that family members can play in supporting those with chronic musculoskeletal pain to remain at work, including some novel insights into how effective and important this encouragement can be.

When severe joint damage is present, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery may be the best approach to regain comfort and function. Researchers analyzed procedure outcomes in two groups of patients.

This month, we will consider what is probably an underutilized class of medications – anticonvulsants – in treating many types of chronic pain syndromes.

Two commonly prescribed gout therapies have also been shown to successfully treat another life-altering condition, researchers reported.

A cocktail a day may keep the doctor away when it comes to patients with chronic widespread pain (CWP).

Study shows intramuscular injected bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells may be able to restore the myelin sheath and nerve cells in diabetic sciatic nerves.

A recent study looked at the safety and efficacy of prolonged-release forms of two common opioids-oxycodone and naloxone-in treating chronic pain and opioid-induced constipation, which affects in as many as 40% of opioid-treated patients.

Results from a recent study showed that elevated levels of inflammatory markers were strongly associated with delirium in post-surgical patients.

Although many patients with arthritis have a difficult time engaging in high-intensity exercises, that may be the very thing they need to reduce their risk for cardiovascular complications associated with the disease.

Patients with chronic back and leg pain may be able to forgo the use of prescription painkillers thanks to a new treatment that has been shown to provide long-lasting analgesia.

A recently completed Phase III trial – called PREEMPT – established the efficacy and safety of onabotulinumtoxinA (marketed by Allergan under the brand name Botox®) in treating chronic migraine. Following those results, a new long-term trial is currently underway to analyze some of the clinical questions raised but not answered in PREEMPT.

Study results show that mood, whether positive or negative, may impact the discomfort associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Does timing really make an impact when it comes to treating back pain? A new study weighed in on the importance early initiation of therapy in this patient population.

Merely being told that a treatment has analgesic effects may be all that a patient needs in order to experience pain relief, a new study suggested.

Trigeminal neuralgia is often mistreated or under-treated. Even when treatment is appropriately delivered, there can be troublesome side effects and complications. Proper diagnosis and treatment typically involves coordination of care among neurologists, anaesthesiologists, dentists, neurosurgeons, and neuroradiologists

Opioids have been and continue to be a major source of relief for both chronic and acute pain sufferers. As the use of prescription opioid medications continues to rise, however, so does our knowledge about opioid dependence and opioid poisonings.

Both chronic pain conditions and obesity are major and increasing public health concerns, and the connections between the two have been firmly established in the medical literature. But as the prevalence of obesity worldwide continues to grow, a deeper understanding of this connection could potentially benefit both practitioners and patients.

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.

A recent study evaluated the potential methods of intra-articular corticosteroid injection in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, the most common chronic rheumatic disease in children.

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.

With ticks becoming more active as temperatures rise, so does the risk of Lyme disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report revealing the increase of diagnoses over the past two decades in the US.

Medical marijuana is used to treat the symptoms of conditions such as cancer and multiple sclerosis, but now a different form of the drug has been found to have positive effects on broken bones.

Treatment for patients with chronic migraine is notoriously elusive. Pharmacologic options are few and only two medications-topiramate and onabotulinumtoxin-have shown significant treatment effect in clinical research to date. As with most pain maladies, however, medication isn't the only treatment avenue.

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.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new injection for the treatment of upper limb spasticity in adults. An estimated 1.7 million people suffer from the condition.