AAPM
The E-newsletter of the American Academy of Pain Management

Pain Studies In The News

Pills as good as steroid shots for tendon problems
December 4, 2009 Source: Annals of Rheumatic Diseases
In a recent study, the researchers found that in the short term -- up to eight weeks after treatment -- steroid injections were better at easing pain and improving joint function compared with physical therapy or no treatment. The advantage was not seen over the longer term, however. Nor were the injections more effective than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as naproxen and diclofenac, in the short or long run.
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Outpatient disc treatment gives long-term back pain relief
December 2, 2009 Source: Radiological Society of North America
A new study comparing standard conservative therapy to a minimally invasive treatment called percutaneous disc decompression for painful herniated disc revealed that while both treatments help patients in the short run, only disc decompression kept patients pain free up to two years later.
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Too much physical activity may lead to arthritis, study suggests
December 2, 2009 Source: University of Utah Health Sciences
Middle-aged men and women who engage in high levels of physical activity may be unknowingly causing damage to their knees and increasing their risk for osteoarthritis, according to a new study. In addition, cartilage defects diagnosed in active people were more severe. The findings also indicated that some activities carry a greater risk of knee damage over time.
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Overweight children may develop back pain and spinal abnormalities
December 2, 2009 Source: Radiological Society of North America
A new retrospective study reviewed MR images of the spines of 188 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 20 who complained of back pain and were imaged at the hospital over a four-year period. Results showed that being overweight as a child could lead to early degeneration in the spine.
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Discovery leads to effective treatment of painful skin condition
November 26, 2009 Source: University of Utah Health Sciences
A new study describes a new treatment for pachyonychia congenita, an ultra-rare genetic skin condition caused by mutations in a gene called keratin. The disorder is characterized by painful, blistering calluses on the feet and limbs that limit a patient's ability to walk. The new treatment involves a relatively new class of drug called siRNA, and works by preventing the gene with the mutation from being expressed but permitting the healthy keratin genes to function normally.
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Early relationships influence teen pain and depression
November 25, 2009 Source: University of Montreal
Angst could be more than a rite of passage for insecure teenagers, according to a new study. Researchers discovered that insecure adolescents experience more intense pain in the form of frequent headaches, abdominal pain and joint pain. These teens are also more likely to be depressed than peers with secure attachments.
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Study pinpoints causes of 'runner's knee'
November 23, 2009 Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
New research has zeroed in on what appear to be the main culprits of patellofemoral pain syndrome. They found that participants with weaker hamstring muscles were 2.9 times more likely to develop the syndrome that those with the strongest hamstrings; those with weaker quadriceps muscles were 5.5 times more likely; those with a larger navicular drop were 3.4 times more likely; and participants with smaller knee flexion angle were 3.1 times more likely.
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Study assesses neuropathic pain risk for breast cancer patients
November 23, 2009 Source: American Pain Society
A new study showed that breast-cancer patients who had experienced chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy during their treatment with Taxol were three times more likely to eventually be diagnosed with chronic neuropathic pain. Taxol-treated patients, therefore, should be regularly monitored for neuropathic pain beyond treatment.
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Pain often first sign of knee osteoarthritis
November 20, 2009 Source: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
A new study suggests that knee pain is frequently the first sign of knee osteoarthritis. A majority of middle-aged patients with chronic idiopathic knee pain in this study developed knee osteoarthritis over 12 years. On this basis, the authors conclude that knee pain is often the first sign of knee osteoarthritis.
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New publication offers relief to those suffering from pain and other distressing symptoms of illness
The National Institute of Nursing Research brochure highlights the benefits of palliative care
November 20, 2009 Source: National Institute of Nursing Research
Dealing with the symptoms of a serious illness is difficult. But help is available. A new brochure describes a comprehensive treatment that helps reduce or eliminate the pain and other distressing symptoms of illness and medical treatments. "Palliative Care: The Relief You Need When You're Experiencing the Symptoms of Serious Illness," produced by the National Institute of Nursing Research, explains what palliative care is, who it benefits, and how it works.
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Severe and chronic pain in multiple areas associated with increased risk of falls in older adults
November 19, 2009 Source: American Medical Association
Older adults who reported chronic musculoskeletal pain in two or more locations, higher levels of severe pain, or pain that interfered with daily activities were more likely to experience a fall than adults who did not reports these types of pain, according to a new study. Researchers observed a strong graded relationship in the short term between pain severity ratings each month with risk for falls in the subsequent month.
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Five exercises reduce neck pain of women office workers
November 18, 2009 Source: American Physiological Society
Researchers recently discovered that five strength exercises—the one-arm row, shoulder abduction, shoulder elevation, reverse fly and upright row— can substantially reduce perceived pain reduce pain and improve function in the trapezius muscle. In particular, they found that the women who had diminished ability to activate the muscle quickly and forcefully could benefit from the strength training.
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Common pain relief medication may encourage cancer growth
November 16, 2009 Source: University of Chicago Medical Center
Although morphine has been the gold-standard treatment for postoperative and chronic cancer pain for two centuries, a growing body of evidence is showing that opiate-based painkillers can stimulate the growth and spread of cancer cells. Two new studies advance that argument and demonstrate how shielding lung cancer cells from opiates reduces cell proliferation, invasion and migration in both cell-culture and mouse models.
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Recovering with four-legged friends requires less pain medication
November 16, 2009 Source: Loyola University Health System
According to a new study, adults who use pet therapy while recovering from total joint-replacement surgery require 50 percent less pain medication than those who do not. Evidence suggests that animal-assisted therapy (AAT) can have a positive effect on a patient's psychosocial, emotional and physical well being.
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More pain means real gain in complex regional pain syndrome treatment
November 14, 2009 Source: SAGE Publications
A new study shows that working through the pain of an aggressive physiotherapy program often leads to far better results than a more cautious pain-free approach for those with type I complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). In fact, nearly half those who were given the painful treatment recovered normal physical function, whereas those who avoided painful physiotherapy usually had further loss of physical function.
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Thinking of a loved one can reduce your pain
November 14, 2009 Source: University of California - Los Angeles.
A new study found that a picture, or even the mere thought, of a loved one can reduce pain. In one set of conditions, women received moderately painful heat stimuli to their forearms while they viewed photographs of their boyfriend, a stranger and a chair. When the women were just looking at pictures of their partner, they actually reported less pain to the heat stimuli than when they were looking at pictures of an object or pictures of a stranger.
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Efficacy of low-level laser therapy in the treatment of neck pain
November 13, 2009 Source: SAGE Publications
According to a new research article, low-level laser therapy (LLLT) reduces pain after treatment for non-specific neck pain. LLLT uses laser irradiation to help tissue repair, relieve pain, and stimulate acupuncture points. LLLT is non-invasive, painless, and can be easily administered in primary-care settings. The incidence of adverse effects is low and similar to that of placebo.
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Depression patients more apt to receive opioids for chronic pain
November 13, 2009 Source: Health Behavior News Service
According to a new study, chronic pain patients with a history of depression are three times more likely to receive long-term prescriptions for opioid medications compared to pain patients who do not suffer from depression. The study analyzed the medical records of tens of thousands of patients enrolled in Kaiser Permanente and Group Health plans. Study authors are concerned because depressed patients are excluded from virtually all controlled trials of opioids as a high risk group, so the database on which clinical practice rests doesn't include depressed patients.
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Migraine raises risk of most common form of stroke
November 12, 2009 Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine
The risk for stroke in those with migraines is 2.3 times than those without, according to new research. For those who experience aura, the sighting of flashing lights, zigzag lines and blurred side vision along with migraines, the risk of so-called ischemic stroke is 2.5 times higher, and in women, 2.9 times as high.
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