Pain Studies In The News

Researchers reveal why some pain drugs become less effective over time
April 4, 2012 Source: Universite de Montreal
Researchers have identified how neural cells are able to build up resistance to opioid pain drugs within hours. They propose that the development of opioid ligands that favor recycling could be a way of producing longer-acting opioid analgesics and are attempting to tease the "painkilling" function of opioids from the part that triggers mechanisms that enable tolerance build up.
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Hypnosis provides effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome, study suggests
April 3, 2012 Source: Loyola University Health System
Hypnosis can be a highly effective treatment for the bowel disorder IBS. Studies involving a total of 346 patients, showed that hypnotherapy alleviated symptoms in 40 per cent of those affected -- and that the improvement is long-term. The treatment involves the patient learning to control their symptoms through deep relaxation and individually adapted hypnotic suggestions.
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Sedatives and alcohol increase risk for pain medication adverse events
March 29, 2012 Source: American Pain Society
Adverse events associated with taking opioid pain medications increase in patients who concurrently use sedatives and alcohol. A new study advises physicians to use caution in prescribing sedatives for patients taking opioids, even if there is no history of substance abuse.
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Report warns of yoga-induced spinal fractures
March 28, 2012 Source:Pain-Topics.org News/Research Updates.
Although yoga exercise may be effective and recommended for musculoskeletal pain of various types, persons with bone loss — whether osteopenia or osteoporosis — should be specially warned and educated on safe techniques. Of particular concern might be spinal flexion exercises, which a newly reported cases series suggests may lead to compression fractures in older women.
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Benefits vs risks of meds for IBS assessed
March 29, 2012 Source:Pain-Topics.org News/Research Updates.
Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is an uncomfortable and sometimes painful disorder affecting up to 1 in 5 persons. Effective treatment options have been somewhat limited, but researchers recently reported that two prevalent drug therapies — rifaximin and lubiprostone — may be preferred options, depending on the type of IBS. Also important, a unique but simple statistical approach is presented for calculating benefit-to-harm ratios for any therapy.
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Study suggests new way to treat chronic pain
March 26, 2012 Source: McGill University
A research team has identified a major gene affecting chronic pain sensitivity. The gene encodes the pain receptor known as P2X7. Specifically, the scientists discovered that a single amino-acid change in P2X7 controls sensitivity to the two main causes of chronic pain: inflammation and nerve damage. Their findings indicate that it may be possible to develop drugs that block pores in this crucial receptor, while leaving its other function intact – thereby killing pain while minimizing side effects.
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Antidepressant proves effective in alleviating osteoarthritis pain
March 22, 2012 Source: Wiley-Blackwell
Antidepressants can play a key role in alleviating painful conditions like osteoarthritis and may result in fewer side effects than traditionally prescribed drug regimes, such as anti-inflammatories and opioids, according to a new perspective paper. The studies used to gain FDA approval also showed that pain reduction using duloxetine on its own was not dependent on an improvement in depressive symptoms.
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Unconscious racial bias may affect a pediatricians' pain medication judgment
March 21, 2012 Source: Reuters
Pediatricians who show an unconscious preference for European Americans tend to prescribe better pain-management for white patients than they do for African-American patients, new research shows. Researchers say that because these are unconscious attitudes, doctors aren't aware that their racial attitudes may affect their treatment decisions.
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Peripheral nerve stimulation helps control pain after combat injuries
March 21, 2012 Source: International Anesthesia Research Society
A peripheral nerve stimulation technique may be a valuable new approach for relief of severe neuropathic (nerve-related) pain in injured soldiers, reports a new article. Peripheral nerve stimulation provides good short-term control of neuropathic pain related to combat injuries in soldiers who aren't candidates for more definitive treatment, according to the report.
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Six in 10 obese adults have joint pain
March 20, 2012 Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Fifty-eight percent of obese and nearly 69 percent of extremely obese adults age 20 or older reported suffering from joint pain in 2009, according to new research. Among obese adults, nearly 42 percent reported having a heart condition, 42 percent said they had elevated cholesterol and 15 percent said they suffered from diabetes. The percentages of those with a heart condition or diabetes were typically higher among those who were considered extremely obese.
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Elderly sometimes keep using opioids after surgery
March 14, 2012 Source: Archives of Internal Medicine
One in ten older adults prescribed a powerful painkiller after surgery was still filling prescriptions for the drug a year later, a new study shows. Patients who were prescribed post-surgery opioids were 44 percent more likely to be taking them a year later than those whose doctors didn't initially prescribe the drugs. On average, longer-term users filled prescriptions for 33 pills during the year, and some were taking stronger opioids than they'd first been prescribed.
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New study: adaptive motion trainers can put significant stress on knees, may not be best option for those with knee pain
March 12, 2012 Source: Cybex International Inc.
New research calls into question the conventional wisdom that non-impact cardio machines, such as adaptive motion trainers (AMTs), apply minimum stress to the joints. The study shows that some cross trainers, particularly ones that move in an elliptical-like pattern, may still impose high stresses on the knee.
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Many with cancer pain aren't on strong painkillers
March 9, 2012 Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology
Despite suffering severe pain, about one in three older cancer patients do not end up taking opioids, the most potent of analgesics, according to a new study. Older patients and women were less likely to have filled a prescription than younger patients or men. People over age 85, for instance, were 30 percent less likely to have opioid pain treatment than people between 64 and 74 years old.
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Cardiac Risks of NSAIDs Revisited
March 06, 2012 Source:Pain-Topics.org News/Research Updates.
In agreement with previous results from randomized trials, a new systematic review of observational studies covering nearly 3-million persons corroborates that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may increase the risks of serious cardiovascular events. This latest review confirms that among widely used NSAIDs, often prescribed for musculoskeletal pain and headache disorders, naproxen and low-dose ibuprofen are least likely to increase cardiovascular risks; whereas, diclofenac most significantly elevates those risks even at lower doses.
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NSAIDs, not aspirin, may increase IBD risk
March 2012 Source: Pain Medicine News:
National Harbor, Md.—The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may raise the risk for developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but aspirin does not appear to have a similar influence, according to research presented at the 2011 annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.
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New pain guidelines push for intrathecal therapy with opioids and nonopioids as first-line treatment
March 2012 Source: Pain Medicine News: (log-in required)
Proposed new guidelines for the management of nociceptive and chronic neuropathic pain recommend intrathecal therapy (IT) using both opioid and nonopioid agents for this patient population, according to a presentation by the 2011 Polyanalgesic Consensus Conference (PACC) and a study published in the May-June issue of Pain Physician (2011;14:E283-E312).
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Knowledge of pain med safety mixed among specialists
March 2012 Source: Pain Medicine News: (log-in required)
The results of a new study indicate pain medicine specialists may be lacking key knowledge regarding the safety and efficacy of the medications they prescribe. Some experts believe that the results highlight the need for more specific guidelines regarding the administration of pain drugs.
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Study shows chronic migraine prevalence in U.S. is approximately 1%
March 2012 Source: Pain Medicine News: (log-in required)
A survey of 120,000 U.S. households has revealed that the prevalence of chronic migraine is less than 1%, about half of previous estimates. The highest rates of chronic migraine occurred in women, and in individuals aged 18 to 49 years, with a low income and living in a large household.
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Treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy found inadequate in nursing home
March 2012 Source: Pain Medicine News: (log-in required)
New research has found that nursing home residents with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy may not be receiving optimal treatment for their pain. The study was presented at the 2011 PAINWeek Conference, in Las Vegas.
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Study adds to debate about usefulness of MRIs before epidural steroid injections for back pain
March 2012 Source: Pain Medicine News:
Members of the interventional pain community are concerned that insurance companies will exploit findings from a randomized, multicenter study of epidural steroid injections (ESIs) for lumbosacral radiculopathy as a rationale to cut off reimbursement of preinjection magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (Arch Intern Med 2012;172:134-142).
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Evidence points to better approach for back injections
March 2012 Source: Pain Medicine News:
When performing steroid injections for low back pain, many clinicians feel the approach they take with the needle is purely a matter of personal preference. But new research suggests that the position can significantly affect how much pain a patient will experience.
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