Chronic Pain News and Research

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DBS can lead to long-term improvement in patients with neuropathic pain

For many patients with difficult-to-treat neuropathic pain, deep brain stimulation (DBS) can lead to long-term improvement in pain scores and other outcomes, according to a study in the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

14 Feb 2013

Study finds reason why patients with chronic pain often suffer from impaired short -term memory

A group of Portuguese researchers from IBMC and FMUP at the University of Porto has found the reason why patients with chronic pain often suffer from impaired short -term memory.

9 Feb 2013

CIHR-funded researchers raise awareness of sexual health

Being comfortable in our sexuality and making choices that support our sexual health are essential to our overall well-being. Promoting sexual health includes both preventing disease and helping people find pleasure in their sexual lives.

6 Feb 2013

Regular exercise reduces development of painful diabetic neuropathy in animals

Regular exercise reduces the development of painful diabetic neuropathy in animals—apparently related to increased expression of a protective substance called "heat shock protein" 72 (Hsp72), reports an experimental study in the February issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

5 Feb 2013

Low testosterone levels occur more often among men on long-acting opioids

Low testosterone levels occur five times more often among men who take long-acting instead of short-acting opioids for chronic pain, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in The Clinical Journal of Pain.

2 Feb 2013

Medical cannabis can improve appetite, ease chronic pain, say researchers

Though controversial, medical cannabis has been gaining ground as a valid therapy, offering relief to suffers of diseases such as cancer, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, ALS and more.

25 Jan 2013

HBR Lab offers free treatment for individuals with both weight and chronic pain

To combat ever-increasing rates of obesity in the U.S. and to reduce suffering from the pain that can occur with increased weight, the Health Behavior Research Lab (HBR) at University of the Sciences is offering free treatment for individuals struggling with both weight and chronic pain.

23 Jan 2013

Itch-specific nerve cells: an interview with Associate Professor Xinzhong Dong

Itch was actually defined by a German physician more than 350 years ago. His name was Samuel Hafenreffer. He defined itch as an unpleasant sensation that makes people want to scratch. You probably think this is a very simple definition but itch is really a very complex sensory modality.

21 Jan 2013

Caesarean section increases risk of persistent pelvic girdle pain compared with vaginal delivery

Caesarean section increases the risk of persistent pelvic girdle pain after delivery compared with vaginal delivery, according to a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

17 Jan 2013

People with chronic inflammatory conditions may benefit from mindfulness meditation

People suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and asthma - in which psychological stress plays a major role - may benefit from mindfulness meditation techniques, according to a study by University of Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientists with the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center.

17 Jan 2013

LM11A-31 effective at improving limb movement after spinal cord injury in mice

An experimental oral drug given to mice after a spinal cord injury was effective at improving limb movement after the injury, a new study shows.

10 Jan 2013

Chronic neck pain patients show respiratory weakness

Chronic neck pain appears to be associated with impaired respiratory function due to weakness of the respiratory muscles, study findings indicate.

8 Jan 2013

Researchers discover new pathway to reduce paradoxical pain

For individuals with agonizing pain, it is a cruel blow when the gold-standard medication actually causes more pain. Adults and children whose pain gets worse when treated with morphine may be closer to a solution, based on research published in the January 6 on-line edition of Nature Neuroscience.

7 Jan 2013

Itch-specific nerve cells in skin discovered by John Hopkins scientists

Johns Hopkins researchers have uncovered strong evidence that mice have a specific set of nerve cells that signal itch but not pain, a finding that may settle a decades-long debate about these sensations, and, if confirmed in humans, help in developing treatments for chronic itch, including itch caused by life-saving medications.

3 Jan 2013

Electroconvulsive therapy releases opiate-like substances

Researchers used electricity on certain regions in the brain of a patient with chronic, severe facial pain to release an opiate-like substance that's considered one of the body's most powerful painkillers.

3 Jan 2013

Johns Hopkins scientists uncover itch-specific nerve cells in skin

3 Jan 2013

Extended sleep takes the pain out of mild chronic sleep loss

Increased sleep time and reduced sleepiness in mildly sleepy, but otherwise healthy, individuals increases alertness and in turn reduces pain sensitivity, US researchers have found.

28 Dec 2012

MEDNAX acquires South Oakland Anesthesia Associates

MEDNAX, Inc., today announced the acquisition of South Oakland Anesthesia Associates, P.C., a physician group practice that provides anesthesia care and pain management services at three hospitals, four ambulatory surgery centers, one eye center, and four pain management centers throughout Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties in Michigan.

21 Dec 2012

Men with fibromyalgia symptoms less likely to receive diagnostic tests

Fibromyalgia is a complex illness to diagnose and to treat. There is not yet a diagnostic test to establish that someone has it, there is no cure and many fibromyalgia symptoms -- pain, fatigue, problems sleeping and memory and mood issues -- can overlap with or get mistaken for other conditions. A new Mayo Clinic study suggests that many people who have fibromyalgia, especially men, are going undiagnosed.

20 Dec 2012

Biologic changes after delivery may prevent development of chronic pain

Chronic pain from childbirth is remarkably rare, according to a study from the January issue of Anesthesiology. Additionally, in a second study, researchers at Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C., found the biologic changes after delivery may prevent the development of pain.

19 Dec 2012