MedPage Today
Distractions Help Cut Pain
Thu, 17 May 2012 12:00:00 -0400
?Distracting the mind not only can take the focus off pain but can actually dampen the body's early physiological response to pain signals by way of endogenous opioids, a small study found.
Low Back Pain Eases but Doesn't Vanish
Mon, 14 May 2012 13:02:45 -0400
Symptoms of acute and persistent low-back pain improved significantly in the first 6 weeks after treatment, but even at 1 year there was lingering chronic pain and disability, a major study by Australian and Brazilian researchers found.
Study Confirms Marijuana Helps in MS
Mon, 14 May 2012 12:00:00 -0400
Smoking marijuana cuts spasticity and pain that's resistant to conventional therapy in multiple sclerosis, although with some cognitive effects, a small clinical trial affirmed.
Botox Mixed Bag for Migraine Pain
Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:27:31 -0400
Botulinum toxin A injections modestly cut down on chronic migraines but don't prevent the episodic or tension type, a meta-analysis found.
Shot Delivers Scant Relief for Back Pain
Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:00:13 -0400
Epidural injections provided modest short-term pain relief from lumbrosacral radiculopathy, whether used with steroids or an anti-inflammatory biologic agent, a clinical trial showed.
Cox-2 Users at Risk from Low Use of GI Agents
Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:03:50 -0400
Patients who take cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors (Cox-2 inhibitors) but do not take recommended gastroprotective agents may be placing themselves at risk for an upper GI complication, a Swedish study showed.
Pregabalin Lets Fibromyalgia Patients Sleep
Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:35:29 -0400
Sleep difficulties commonly experienced by patients with fibromyalgia were greatly improved during 4 weeks of treatment with pregabalin (Lyrica), a randomized trial found.
Natural Pain Relief an Option in Childbirth
Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:01:00 -0400
Nonpharmacologic pain management appears to be safe for mother and baby, although there is limited published evidence to explain its efficacy, according to a Cochrane review.
Postop Opioids May Be Used over Longer Term
Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:29:59 -0400
Opioid use after minor surgery significantly increased the likelihood of opioid use a year later among older, opioid-naive patients, Canadian investigators reported.
Opioids for Pain More Likely for Vets with PTSD
Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:24:35 -0400
Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are more likely to receive opioids for pain if they have mental health disorders, researchers said.
Muscle Massage Rubs Out Inflammation
Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:55:30 -0400
Heavily stressed muscles responded to massage therapy with a variety of biologic changes associated with reduced inflammation, analysis of tissue specimens showed.
Focused Radiation May Ease Facial Pain
Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:00:00 -0400
Cyberknife radiosurgery may bring at least short-term relief to patients with refractory trigeminal neuralgia, a small case series showed.
Cane Use Improves Pain in Arthritic Knees
Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:00:00 -0400
Use of a cane helped reduce pain in patients with osteoarthritis in the knee as well as improve function , Brazilian researchers found.
Common Pain Options of Little Help for RA Patients
Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:30:00 -0400
Muscle relaxants and neuromodulators offered little pain relief for rheumatoid arthritis patients and cannot currently be recommended, according to two Cochrane reviews.
Mixed Results for Migraine Tx, Preventive Efforts
Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:56:06 -0400
An intervention promoting prophylactic drug treatment failed to reduce the frequency or severity of migraine attacks, a randomized study indicated, while a separate trial of acupuncture found that it was significantly beneficial -- but not much more so than sham acupuncture.