Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Study on arthritis prevalence and trends reveals unexpected findings

Arthritis is the leading cause of disability and pain in the United States and the impact on individuals is quite significant. The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis (OA), which often affects the knees, hips and lower back.

17 Apr 2018

Targeting opioid receptor offers relief for chronic itching

A common side effect of opioids is intense itching -- a problem for some patients who need the drugs for pain relief and for others fighting addiction.

17 Apr 2018

Study: Young children should be priority for snail fever treatment

Infants in some of the world's poorest regions are vulnerable to a common worm parasite infection and their treatment should become a priority, according to a study.

17 Apr 2018

Finding better way to quantify neuropathy symptoms and treatment efficacy

Most of the roughly 15.5 million cancer survivors in the U.S. receive chemotherapy, and roughly 65 percent develop some degree of the chemotherapy-induced nerve damage known as peripheral neuropathy.

17 Apr 2018

Middle ear infection can lead to deadly neurological complications

While antibiotics have greatly reduced the dangers of ear infections, serious neurological complications, including hearing loss, facial paralysis, meningitis and brain abscess still occur, according to an article in the journal Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports.

16 Apr 2018

Popular ASRA Coags app helps physicians protect patients taking anticoagulants

The popular ASRA Coags app has just been updated to combine the latest regional anesthesia/acute pain medicine and chronic pain medicine drugs, procedures, and interventions.

16 Apr 2018

Post-surgical opioids can prolong pain for more than three weeks, study shows

Giving opioids to animals to quell pain after surgery prolongs pain for more than three weeks and primes specialized immune cells in the spinal cord to be more reactive to pain, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder.

16 Apr 2018

Cancer risk found to be three times greater after acute thrombosis in the leg

Patients with the most acute type of thrombosis in the leg - known as an arterial thrombosis - risk developing diseases that are far worse than the blood clot itself. The risk of developing cancer during the first six months after the blood clot is three times greater than normal.

16 Apr 2018

Safety violations compound pain of painkiller shortages

Safety violations at a major compounding pharmacy are exacerbating hospital shortages of key painkillers, particularly in California where health officials have taken the "extraordinary" step of prohibiting sales from one of its plants.

16 Apr 2018

Receptor that detects heat of red chili pepper may help protect the brain after TBI

A receptor on our immune cells that can detect both the heat of a red chili pepper and the extreme physical heat of a pizza oven may help protect the brain following a traumatic brain injury, scientists say.

13 Apr 2018

CU Anschutz scientists receive $3.8 million DoD grant to boost EB research

Scientists from the Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine are part of a consortium awarded $3.8 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to move discoveries in stem cell-created skin grafts into the manufacturing stage, bringing further hope to victims of debilitating inherited skin diseases.

12 Apr 2018

Old proteins on historical artifacts provide insight into the past

"Dead men tell no tales" is a common saying, but according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the old proteins on historical artifacts, such as manuscripts and clothing, can tell quite a yarn.

12 Apr 2018

Smartphone addiction leads to high levels of loneliness, depression and anxiety

Smartphones are an integral part of most people's lives, allowing us to stay connected and in-the-know at all times. The downside of that convenience is that many of us are also addicted to the constant pings, chimes, vibrations and other alerts from our devices, unable to ignore new emails, texts and images.

11 Apr 2018

Study offers new hope for patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Kandice Fogle, 43, had just moved to Houston when she began experiencing pain in her back and groin. After undergoing a CT scan, doctors found a large mass in her liver. A biopsy confirmed that she had intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, more commonly known as bile duct cancer.

11 Apr 2018

NIH study uncovers genetic basis of 'dripping candle wax' bone disease

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health worked with 15 patients from around the world to uncover a genetic basis of "dripping candle wax" bone disease.

11 Apr 2018

Patients with high-risk clinical features have greater risk for acute aortic dissection

Patients with one or more high-risk clinical features (tearing pain, hypotension, pulse deficit, neurologic deficit, new murmur) should be considered high risk for acute aortic dissection.

10 Apr 2018

Mild head injury increases risk for long-term headaches

"Most people with a mild head injury take off work for a week and then forget about it, but some end up with long-term ailments like headaches," says Lena Hoem Nordhaug, a PhD candidate in neuromedicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

10 Apr 2018

Hottest pepper gives man “thunderclap”

An unidentified 34 year old man reportedly ate a Carolina Reaper – one of the hottest rates peppers in the world, during a contest. What followed was a series of intense headaches and retching in the man. The headaches are typically termed 'thunderclap headaches'. The case study was published this week by the doctors attending the man in the journal BMJ Case Reports.

10 Apr 2018

New OIC study may help reduce overuse of opioids by adolescents

The overuse of opioids has become a national crisis, particularly among adolescents who are considered "at risk" for opioid abuse once the medication has been prescribed to them for pain management.

9 Apr 2018