Breaking News

This section includes a wide variety of pain management stories, arranged by date and type (not significance), which have appeared in the popular media (print, broadcast, and on-line) in the last month. Because of the volume of stories, only the first few are included on the main page. Be sure to click on "More Stories" at the bottom of each front page section.

Pain Studies In The News

States Improve Pain Policies, But Barriers Remain to Effective Pain Management for Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
July 15, 2008   
States continue to make steady progress in adopting balanced policies that help people with pain to alleviate their suffering, according to recently released reports that evaluate state policies on pain management and patient care. However, only five states have received a grade of ‘A’ for enabling health care professionals to effectively alleviate the suffering of their patients without encountering barriers in legislation or regulation. Story

Low back pain recovery slow; and worse for those on compensation
July 7, 2008   
Contrary to current guidelines and common belief, new research has shown that recovery from low back pain is much slower than previously thought and even slower again for those with a compensable injury. Story

A new frontier in the battle against disc degeneration
July 8, 2008   
A review article published in the June 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons discusses how gene therapy may one day potentially offer some relief to millions of individuals who experience back pain due to disc degeneration. Story

More Pain Studies In The News

Pain Stories In The News

New Auricular Therapy Providing Pain Relief to Some Patients
July/August, 2008   
New device and proceedure take acupuncture of the ear miles further in pain relief. Story

New clinician Tool Kit launch!
June 27, 2008   
Medical Learning Solutions recently launched a comprehensive tool kit that is a resource to assist pain management clinicians with assessing, monitoring and protecting their practices. It offers new modules, updated content, and more information designed to address today's critical issues. Story

More Pain Stories In The News

Policy and Law

The University of Wisconsin Pain & Policy Studies Group (PPSG) announcesthe release of two new resources.
July 15, 2008   
· Achieving Balance in Federal and State Pain Policy: A Guide to Evaluation , and · Achieving Balance in State Pain Policy: A Progress Report Card (Fourth edition) These resources are part of the PPSG’s continuing pain and public policy research program. The Evaluation Guide is the fifth in a series of evaluations of federal and state pain policies. The Progress Report Card quantifies state pain policies, and tracks progress to promote pain management and reduce policy barriers by comparing 2008 state policy grades with those from 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2007. These two reports are important tools that can be used by government and non-government organizations, as well as policy-makers, healthcare professionals, and advocates to understand the policies in their state that reinforce the right to pain management, or that can hinder patient access to effective treatment. www.painpolicy.wisc.edu

Pain treatment advocacy group sues state of WA
June 26, 2008   
The nonprofit Pain Relief Network says the guidelines for prescribing narcotics that were written by the Washington State Department of Health have influenced pain treatment across the country and have made doctors afraid to give opiate prescriptions. Story

Prescription Addiction, Diversion, and Abuse

New Casa report finds: Most web sites selling prescription opioids, stimulants and depressants require no prescription
July 9, 2008   
The new White Paper reports that CASA researchers found a total of 365 Web sites advertising or selling controlled prescription drugs during 210 hours of research in the first quarter of 2008, compared to 581 sites during the same period in 2007. Only two of the 365 sites were certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy as Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites, the same number found certified in 2007. Story

For Your Patients

Seven helpful tips for dealing with the pain of fibromyalgia
June 28, 2008   
If you think you may have fibromyalgia and are going through a battery of tests to rule out other diseases or if you have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, you can take seven positive steps to manage your pain. Story

News From Industry Sources

Data show significantly more patients were pain-free with Treximet(TM) (sumatriptan and naproxen sodium) tablets in the acute treatment of probable migraine without aura in adults
June 27, 2008   
According to new data, Treximet is the first migraine-specific medication to demonstrate pain-free results in patients with probable migraine without aura. Typically, this migraine sub-population experiences pain symptoms which may include pain on one side of the head, moderate to severe pain, throbbing pain or worse pain when moving or bending, but do not present with an associated symptom, such as nausea or vomiting or sensitivity to light and sound. Story

New technology provides drug-free approach to treat migraine
June 26, 2008   
A randomized, double-blind clinical study at 16 centers studied the use of Neuralieve's portable transcranial magnetic stimulation device for treating migraine with aura. The study demonstrated that for migraine with aura, treatment with Neuralieve's non-drug, non-invasive TMS treatment system is superior to sham treatment, and led to patients being pain-free at 2 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours. Story

More News From Industry Sources

Research Abstracts Stay up-to-date on the latest research! This section of Currents offers complete abstracts on a wide variety of pain and pain management topics that have been selected from the National Library of Medicine. All Abstracts

Some include:

Benyamin R, Trescot AM, Datta S, et al.
Opioid complications and side effects. Abstract

Clauw DJ.
Pharmacotherapy for patients with fibromyalgia. Abstract

Cook C, Cook A, Worrell T.
Manual therapy provided by physical therapists in a hospital-based setting: a retrospective analysis. Abstract

Maa SH, Sun MF, Wu CC.
The effectiveness of acupuncture on pain and mobility in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a pilot study. Abstract

Shirani P, Salamone AR, Schulz PE, et al.
Ketamine treatment for intractable pain in a patient with severe refractory complex regional pain syndrome: a case report. Abstract

Randall C, Dickens A, White A, et al.
Nettle sting for chronic knee pain: a randomised controlled pilot study. Abstract

Williams JA, Day M, Heavner JE.
Ziconotide: an update and review. Abstract

211 Research Abstracts

Legislative and Administrative Updates

Branch of Government: U. S. Senate
Title: Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008 (S. 2162)
Summary: Bill to improve the treatment and services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders, and for other purposes…. (Title II) Pain Care- (Sec. 201) Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and implement a comprehensive policy on the management of pain experienced by veterans enrolled for VA health care services; (2) periodically update the policy; and (3) report annually through FY2018 to the veterans'committees on such policy.
Sponsor: Akaka
Latest Action: 05/21/2008 -- Introduced to the House; Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. full text

Branch of Government: California. Senate
Title: Senate Joint Resolution 25
Summary: Urges the Congress of the United States to accelerate the federal investment in fibromyalgia research at the National Institutes of Health, to ensure adequate Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and coverage of fibromyalgia therapies and to launch a public awareness campaign on that subject.
Sponsor: Negrete McLeod
Latest Action: 06/03/2008: Senate passed (by unanimous consent)
06/04/ 2008: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs full text

More Legislative and Administrative Updates

New Clinical Guidelines

Analgesics, Opioid
American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians
Opioids in the Management of Chronic Non-Cancer Pain: An Update of American Society of the Interventional Pain Physicians’ (ASIPP) Guidelines
[Summary and recommendations]

Back Pain
Oklahoma Worker’s Compensation Court
Conservative Treatment of Low Back Pain (Draft)
[Summary and recommendations]

New Clinical Trials

Alabama

Digestive System Diseases
City: San Diego
Summary: A Phase 2 study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of NKTR-118 (PEG-naloxol) in patients with opioid-induced constipation.

City: Huntsville
Summary: A Phase 2 study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of NKTR-118 (PEG-naloxol) in patients with opioid-induced constipation.

More New Clinical Trials

Advocacy

Pain Specialist to Cycle from Ontario to Newfoundland to Raise Funds for CRPS Research
June 1, 2008   
Dr. David L. Shulman, a chronic pain specialist at Toronto’s Rothbart Pain Clinic, will cycle from Marathon, ON to St. John’s Nfld. in July to raise awareness of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and money for its research. The Ride for CRPS will kick off Saturday, July 19 and wrap up in St. John’s 21 days later, with Shulman having cycled 3,750 km. Shulman, who treats a number of people with CRPS in his busy practice, hopes this ride will raise awareness of a disease that “is a bit of a mystery” and funds into research of better treatment options. Story

American Pain Foundation and HealthCentral Network announce call for artistic submissions for creativity and pain exhibit
June 23, 2008   
The American Pain Foundation and The HealthCentral Network, Inc. announced today a call for entries for the second "Pain and Creativity" Exhibit. Those dealing with chronic pain from around the world are encouraged to submit expressions of how it has influenced their lives. Story

Lagniappe (A little something extra)

Nerves behind pain relief provided by stressful situations
June 17, 2008
The increased beating of the heart that one experiences when in a stressful situation is just one part of the body's response to stress, something often known as the "fight-or-flight response". Another component of the fight-or-flight response is the suppression of pain, also known as stress-induced analgesia. Story

Common bowel problem linked to chili pepper pain receptor
June 12, 2008
People with irritable bowel syndrome have a higher than usual number of chilli pepper pain receptors, according to a new study Story

Editorial Team
Edward Duensing, Research
Lennie Duensing, Editorial

Design
Carol Harper