Pain Studies In The News

Living in pain? New survey shows half of Americans mistakenly believe that pain is just a part of life
Source: American Osteopathic Association
While nearly seventy percent of Americans in a new study report that they, or someone they care for, have experienced pain during the past thirty days, many believe that pain is simply a part of life. Forty-eight percent don't believe pain is something that can be eased with proper treatment; thirty-four percent believe pain medications that come with side effects are worse than the pain itself; and thirty-one percent would not even speak to a medical professional about their pain.
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Yoga can counteract fibromyalgia, study suggests
Source: Oregon Health & Science University
According to new research, yoga exercises may have the power to combat fibromyalgia. Following completion of an eight-week yoga program, yoga appeared combat a number of serious fibromyalgia symptoms, including pain, fatigue, stiffness, poor sleep, depression, poor memory, anxiety and poor balance. All of these improvements clinically significant - the changes were large enough to have a practical impact on daily functioning.
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Preventive medication, behavior management skills help combat frequent migraines
Source: Ohio University.
The combination of preventive medication and behavioral changes offered significant relief for 77 percent of the individuals enrolled in a recent study aimed at combating frequent, disabling migraine headaches.
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Stretching therapy for plantar fasciitis
November 6, 2010 Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
According to a new study, patients with acute plantar fasciitis who perform manual plantar fasciitis stretching exercises, as opposed to shockwave therapy, had superior results and higher patient satisfaction. At the two and fourth month evaluation, 65 percent of patients who performed the plantar fascia-specific stretch reported total satisfaction with treatment or satisfaction with treatment with minor reservations.
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Almost half of elderly report pain in life's final months
November 1, 2010 Source: HealthDay News
Pain is a commonly reported symptom during the last few years of life, with reports of pain increasing during the final few months, a new study has shown. Just over a fourth of people reported being "troubled" by moderate or severe pain two years before they died, researchers found. At four months before death, that number had jumped to nearly half. Arthritis was the single biggest predictor of pain
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Foot fashion could ease arthritic knees
November 1, 2010 Source: American College of Rheumatology
The use of special mobility shoes can help ease knee pain and slow disease progression in people with osteoarthritis (OA,) according to new research. Flat and flexible shoes that allow natural foot mobility and provide sufficient support for the foot led to significantly decreased knee loads in the participants and longer-term use of the shoes led to even better outcomes in participants.
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Big project? Counting on caffeine to stay awake? It can also wake up your gout
November 1, 2010 Source: American College of Rheumatology
Drinking caffeinated beverages may raise the risk for recurrent gout attacks, according to new research. Study results show that consuming three or four servings of caffeinated beverages in the prior 24 hours is associated with 40 to 80 percent increased risk of recurrent gout attack.
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Spondyloarthritis: when it's more than lower-back pain
November 1, 2010 Source: American College of Rheumatology
Chronic lower back pain may be linked to a recently defined form of inflammatory arthritis known as axial spondyloarthritis, according to recent research. The diagnosis of spondyloarthritis is becoming increasingly more common. In a study of people being seen by their primary care physicians for chronic lower back pain, researchers diagnosed 21.5 percent with axial spondyloarthritis
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Electrical stimulation shows pain-relieving effect
November 1, 2010 Source: International Anesthesia Research Society
Transcranial electrostimulation (TES) could provide a valuable, non-drug approach to reducing pain and the need for pain medications, according to a new study. The effects of TES on both heat and mechanical pain suggest that it may be able to diminish the exaggerated responses of the central nervous system to painful stimuli, which play an important role in the development and maintenance of many pain states.
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Tai Chi relieves arthritis pain, improves reach, balance, well-being
November 1, 2010 Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
In the largest study to date of the Arthritis Foundation's Tai Chi program, participants showed improvement in pain, fatigue, stiffness and sense of well-being. Their ability to reach while maintaining balance also improved. The study shows that there are significant benefits of Tai Chi for individuals with all types of arthritis, including fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
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Glucosamine causes the death of pancreatic cells
October 29, 2010 Source: Université Laval
High doses or prolonged use of glucosamine causes the death of pancreatic cells and could increase the risk of developing diabetes, according to new research. Glucosamine triggers a mechanism intended to lower very high blood sugar levels. However, this reaction negatively affects SIRT1, a protein critical to cell survival. A high concentration of glucosamine diminishes the level of SIRT1, leading to cell death in the tissues where this protein is abundant, such as the pancreas.
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Chronic migraine is associated with reduced household income and greater headache impact
October 29, 2010 Source: National Headache Foundation
New data shows that persons with chronic migraine (headache on greater than or equal to 15 days per month) are much more likely to have annual household incomes below $30,000 than those with episodic migraine (headache on < 15 days per month). This difference in household income may be attributable to the greater adverse headache impact in the chronic migraine group.
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Narcotics and diagnostics overused in treatment of chronic neck pain, study finds
October 27, 2010 Source: Florida Society of Pain Management Providers
Researchers report that narcotics and diagnostic testing are overused in treating chronic neck pain. Their findings indicate that clinicians may overlook more effective treatments for neck pain, such as therapeutic exercise. According to reviews cited in the study, evidence to support the effectiveness of therapeutic exercise in treating chronic neck pain is good, yet only 53% of subjects were prescribed such exercise.
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Strong marriages enhance functioning for rheumatoid arthritis patients
October 26, 2010 Source: American Pain Society
Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful and debilitating condition, but a new study shows that being in a strong, non-distressed marriage is associated with experiencing less pain and enjoying better functioning and quality of life. Researchers reported that among married subjects, better martial adjustment was associated with less psychological disability and marginally less pain.
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Pain may predict liver cancer prognosis
October 26, 2010 Source: American Pain Society
Understanding the role of pain in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or liver cancer is critical since pain has adverse effects on quality of life and could be a predictor of survival, according to new research. The study authors noted that pain is associated with decreased health-related quality of life in cancer patients and also with increased disability and mood disorders.
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Radiation therapy improves painful condition associated with multiple sclerosis
October 25, 2010 Source: American Society for Radiation Oncology
Stereotactic radiation is an effective, long-term treatment for trigeminal neuralgia: a painful condition that occurs with increased frequency in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Radiation is noninvasive and has less negative side effects than other treatments, according to the longest follow-up in a study of its kind.
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Inhaling nitric oxide eases pain crises in sickle cell patients
October 20, 2010 Source: Medical College of Georgia
A new study of 18 patients in sickle cell crisis showed that the nine inhaling nitric oxide for four hours had better pain control than those receiving only the standard self-administered morphine. While it's not certain how nitric oxide helps, there is some indication that nitric oxide, which has a great affinity for hemoglobin, restores hemoglobin's natural shape and charge.
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Anxiety or genes? New study adds evidence to search for what causes long-term pain in patients receiving minor surgeries
October 19, 2010 Source: American Society of Anesthesiologists
A new study followed shoulder surgery patients to assess their pain status for three months after their procedures. Patients with a known genetic predisposition toward low sensitivity to pain were matched with patients with genetic predispositions toward high tolerance for pain. Surprisingly, the low pain sensitivity patients were actually associated with high pain levels three months after surgery.
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New report reveals two-thirds of spinal fractures remain undiagnosed and untreated
October 18, 2010 Source: International Osteoporosis Foundation
A new report puts the spotlight on the severe impact of spinal fractures and calls on health professionals to recognize the signs of these fractures in their patients. Often dismissed as simple back pain or arthritis, spinal fractures caused by osteoporosis frequently remain undiagnosed and untreated, leaving individuals at risk of further fractures and long term disability. Untreated, as many as one in five women with a spinal fracture will sustain another within twelve months.
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High rate of restless legs syndrome found in adults with fibromyalgia
October 15, 2010 Source: American Academy of Sleep Medicine
A new study found that adults with fibromyalgia had a much higher prevalence and risk of restless legs syndrome than healthy controls. Results show that the prevalence of restless legs syndrome was about 10 times higher in the fibromyalgia group (33 percent) than among controls (3.1 percent).
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Romantic love is a brilliant painkiller
October 14, 2010 Source: Stanford University, PLoS One
Intense romantic love can significantly reduce the perception of pain, apart from giving the love-stricken individual a feeling of well-being and euphoria, researchers report. When volunteers were exposed to moderate heat pain, self-reporting and neuroimaging revealed that their feelings of pain were significantly reduced when they were shown pictures of the person they were passionately in love with.
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Fructose intolerance common in children with chronic abdominal pain
October 14, 2010 Source: American College of Gastroenterology
Fructose intolerance, or fructose malabsorption, is common in children with recurrent or functional abdominal pain, but the condition can be effectively managed with a low-fructose diet, according to a new study.
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To assess minimally invasive vs. open spinal surgery for lower back pain
October 13, 2010 Source: Rush University Medical Center
Rush University Medical Center is assessing whether minimally invasive spinal fusion surgery to relieve lower back pain differs from open surgery in terms of complication rate, recovery time, outcome and cost. A total of 50 patients will be enrolled in the study, including those diagnosed with spinal stenosis in the lower back and those with spondylolisthesis.
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Surgical technique relieves painful spine fractures in patients with metastatic cancer
October 9, 2010 Source: European Society for Medical Oncology
In a new study, 134 patients with vertebral compression fractures were randomly assigned to either balloon kyphoplasty or non-surgical management. Those who had the surgery showed improvements in a questionnaire designed to measure their level of disability at one month after surgery. They also experienced a significant improvement in back pain one week after surgery, while those who received non-surgical management saw no improvement.
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Physical symptoms common, disabling among patients with cancer and pain or depression
October 8, 2010 Source: American Medical Association
Patients with cancer who experience pain or depression also have a high rate of physical symptoms, such as fatigue, dry mouth and nausea, according to a new report. All patients in the study had at least one somatic symptom. More than half of the patients reported 15 of the 22 symptoms. The most common symptoms were feeling tired (97.5 percent), having difficulty sleeping (78.8 percent), pain in the limbs or joints (78 percent), back pain (74.8 percent) and difficulty remembering things (72.1 percent).
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Shockwave therapy shows promise for tendon pain
October 8, 2010 Source: American Journal of Sports Medicine
A therapy that aims to heal injured body tissue with targeted sound waves may bring pain relief to people with chronically injured hamstring tendons, a new study of athletes suggests. The treatment, known as shockwave therapy, delivers pulses of sound waves to areas of injured body tissue via a hand-held probe placed on the skin.
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Nature's sights and sounds -- but not cityscapes and noise -- ease spinal pain during bone marrow extractions
October 7, 2010 Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Researchers have found that the sights and sounds of chirping birds, ribbiting frogs and water trickling downstream can ease the substantial pain of bone marrow extraction in one of five people who must endure it. The team also found that busy cityscapes and sounds of honking cars in traffic, or the absence of other distractions offered no significant relief from the pain experienced by cancer patients undergoing bone marrow aspiration. spinal pain during bone marrow extractions. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from:
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Ibuprofen offers relief for many with migraine headaches
October 6, 2010 Source: Center for Advancing Health
For many people suffering from migraine headaches, over-the-counter ibuprofen might be enough to relieve the pain. A new review finds that about half of those with migraine headaches will have pain relief within two hours after taking ibuprofen.
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Pain of shingles (herpes zoster) significantly interferes with daily life
October 4, 2010 Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal
Acute herpes zoster, or shingles, interferes with all health areas for people with the condition including sleep, enjoyment of life and general activities, according to a new study. The discomfort of shingles can also persist for months after the acute phase, with 24% of people in the study developing pain (postherpetic neuralgia) after the rash healed. The risk increased for older people.
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The American Academy of Pain Management is the nation's largest interdisciplinary/integrative organization serving clinicians
who treat people with pain through education, setting standards of care, and advocacy.
© 2010 American Academy of Pain Management