Pain

Though a diagnosis can be made from a single plain X-ray film, multiple views are often recommended, especially when the anatomy is so small that it is difficult to visualize a fracture.

Revisit the articles from each medical specialty that attracted the most eyeballs in 2013.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first device to ease the pain of migraines preceded by aura.

An experimental combination treatment for central neuropathic pain (CNP) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients failed to show superiority to placebo in a phase 2 study.

Examining evidence on vitamin D deficiency in elderly and young populations expands the hormone's clinical knowledge base.

A study published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry concludes that adults dependent on cocaine and/or methamphetamine who undergo stimulant addiction treatment does not detract from simultaneous smoking cessation therapy, and can even increase likelihood of quitting.

Within a year of their diagnosis, nearly half of all first-line drug-treated MDD patients were also treated with a second-line therapy, a new study finds. Cymbalta leads the market in second-line therapy, used individually or as a combination, and Abilify is the leading atypical antipsychotic.

Researchers using mice models have shown that the compound SR2211, which targets a nuclear receptor that is a key regulator of TH17 cells, significantly reduces joint inflammation and erosion.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Xiaflex (collagenase clostridium histolyticum) as the first non-surgical treatment for Peyronie's disease.

A new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) calls for a national surveillance program that will help create enough data on concussions in young athletes to counter the lack of information on the phenomenon, as well as resist what the agency calls "a culture of resistance" pervading youth sports.

While some low- to moderate-level evidence exists for the short-term use of opioids in low back pain, this well-done systematic review found no evidence to support their long-term use.

Teens who reported chronic headache months after having concussions may have been taking too much pain medication, a new study suggests.

A recent study suggests that the transvaginal approach to general surgery procedures is safe and cosmetically advantageous with no appreciable effect on future fertility or sexual function.

According to the authors of a recent study, almost 50% of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) say they have chronic pain, and over 75% of them rate it as being moderate to severe.

A recent study suggests that dialysis patients' use of opioid analgesics (OAs) is widespread and exceeding historical limits, and that the patients who use opioids are staying on them longer.

Primary prevention measures for upper GI bleeding should include NSAIDs, antiplatelet therapy, and anticoagulants appropriately, while secondary preventive measures should include testing and treating H. pylori and using long-term PPIs when appropriate.

A study presented at the 2013 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons has demonstrated that a simple postoperative pain treatment decreases both pain and the use of narcotic pain relievers.

Will the approval of Zohydro benefit patients and physicians by providing another option for pain relief for patients with legitimate chronic pain needs, or will it spark a new wave of abuse, misuse, and diversion?

Although change in knee joint space narrowing depicted on radiographs is considered the gold standard for monitoring osteoarthritis progression and knee cartilage volume loss, the method doesn't account for extrusion of the medial meniscus, which new research suggests can better predict radiographic osteoarthritis change over time.

During their "Great Debate" keynote session of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2013 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, two leading rheumatologists took direct aim at each other's significant clinical trial data to provide rationale for choosing biologics over triple therapy - or vice versa - as the treatment of choice for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Although rheumatologists have an array of disease measurement tools to choose from, they generally choose to ignore all of them when they're assessing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

As a follow-up to the initial establishment of Simponi (golimumab)'s safety and efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), researchers presented final 5-year data evaluating the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker's effects in RA patients taking methotrexate and those naïve to the biologic agent.

Though previous reports have described a link between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) development, a trio of studies has now offered clinical support to the contrary belief.

Although methotrexate with or without glucocorticoids (GCs) is commonly used as a first-line treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), study results show that combining the medication with two other traditional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) produces better outcomes in newly-diagnosed RA patients.

Noting that it takes an average of 5 years before a fibromyalgia patient receives a diagnosis, researchers conducted a retrospective data analysis to identify significant variables that may enable earlier detection and diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

Middle-aged adults who engage in up to two and a half hours of moderate physical activity aren't at an increased risk of developing knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Study results show patients with the disorder report a sever burden of illness, with high rates of hospital and emergency room visits and significant negative impact on activities of daily living.

This resource describes several measures that patients with diabetes can take to prevent or control diabetic neuropathy, including peripheral neuropathy.

Study results show that patients currently taking opioids and those who were previously on chronic opioid therapy experienced induced esophageal dysfunction, with outflow obstruction and spastic esophageal dysmotility patterns more prevalent among current users.

Study results show that a structured educational intervention for staff aimed at improving knowledge of pain assessment and treatment has little effect on outcomes as measured by pain scores.