Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

New online tool offers opioid prescribing recommendations after surgery

How many prescription pain pills should a patient receive after breast cancer surgery? Or a hernia repair? Or a gallbladder removal?

16 Oct 2017

FDA clears new Senhance System that can help facilitate minimally invasive surgery

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the Senhance System, a new robotically-assisted surgical device that can help facilitate minimally invasive surgery.

16 Oct 2017

Study provides insights into potential causes of spinal stenosis

A new study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research indicates that certain genetic changes are linked with an increased risk of developing lumbar spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the open spaces in the lower spine that can lead to pain in the legs when individuals walk.

13 Oct 2017

MTSA expands efforts to fight against national opioid epidemic

Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia announced it is expanding efforts to educate Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists on treatment options that reduce or eliminate the need for opioids during and after surgery.

13 Oct 2017

Local anesthesia before inserting venous cannula clearly reduces sensation of pain

Patients who are given a local anesthetic before having a venous cannula inserted have a clearly reduced sensation of pain when larger gauge cannulas are used. Compared with intradermal lidocaine infusion, the use of vapocoolant spray has the advantage that the rate of venepuncture failures is lower.

13 Oct 2017

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis affects more than 300,000 children in the U.S.

When most people think of arthritis, they picture the knobby knuckles, inflamed joints or aching back of an older person. But more than 300,000 children in the U.S. suffer from chronic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), which has more to do with joint inflammation than wear and tear on cartilage and bone.

12 Oct 2017

Existing drugs could help patients with rare form of bone cancer

Patients with a rare bone cancer of the skull and spine - chordoma - could be helped by existing drugs, suggest scientists from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, University College London Cancer Institute and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust.

12 Oct 2017

Researchers find potential approach to prevent peripheral neuropathy

In discovering how certain chemotherapy drugs cause the nerve damage known as peripheral neuropathy, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have found a potential approach to preventing this common and troublesome side effect of cancer treatment.

11 Oct 2017

Acupuncture may help alleviate vulvar pain in women

Acupuncture has been successfully used to treat such ailments as back and neck pain, osteoarthritis and headaches. Judith Schlaeger is working to discover whether it can help the up to 14 million American women who experience genital pain.

11 Oct 2017

Study reveals unique norovirus characteristic of hiding from host immune system

Noroviruses are the leading cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis in the world and are estimated to cause 267 million infections and 20,000 deaths each year. This virus causes severe diarrhea, nausea, and stomach pain.

11 Oct 2017

Mitochondrial DNA copy number appears to be predictive of sudden cardiac death, heart attacks

Johns Hopkins researchers report that the level, or "copy number," of mitochondrial DNA--genetic information stored not in a cell's nucleus but in the body's energy-creating mitochondria--is a novel and distinct biomarker that is able to predict the risk of heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths a decade or more before they happen.

11 Oct 2017

IBS scientists invent hydrogel to combat rheumatoid arthritis

IBS scientists at the Center for Self-Assembly and Complexity, within the Institute for Basic Science, invented a hydrogel to fight rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases. Published in Advanced Materials, this jelly-like material could be used to absorb extra fluids in swelling joints and release drugs.

11 Oct 2017

Vaginal and bladder problems impact sexual activity of postmenopausal women

As women age, sexual activity typically declines. But that doesn't necessarily mean they are no longer interested in sex. The problem for many is physical. A new study demonstrates the impact on sexual activity of postmenopausal women as a result of vulvovaginal atrophy and lower urinary tract problems.

11 Oct 2017

Epidural analgesics have no effect on the duration of the second stage of labor, study reveals

A study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, indicated that epidural analgesia had no impact on the duration of the second stage of labor, fetal position during birth, prevalence of episiotomy, normal vaginal delivery rate, or any other fetal well-being measures investigated by researchers.

11 Oct 2017

Tai Chi may improve exercise behaviors in high-risk heart attack patients

The slow and gentle movements of Tai Chi hold promise as an alternative exercise option for patients who decline traditional cardiac rehabilitation, according to preliminary research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

11 Oct 2017

Epidural medication has no effect on duration of labor, study shows

Epidural analgesia – a mix of anesthetics and narcotics delivered by catheter placed close to the nerves of the spine – is the most effective method of labor pain relief. In widespread use since the 1970s, epidurals have long been thought to slow the second stage of labor – defined as beginning when the cervix is completely dilated and ending when the baby is delivered.

10 Oct 2017

UIC study receives $3 million federal grant to study effects of inflammation on PCOS

The University of Illinois at Chicago has received a $3 million federal grant to study the effects of inflammation on polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS.

10 Oct 2017

Understanding root cause of 'trench foot' opens way for new treatments

The physical cause of trench foot has been uncovered more than 100 years after the painful and debilitating condition was first identified in the First World War.

10 Oct 2017

Scientists identify potential treatment target for diabetic retinopathy

In oxygen-compromising conditions like diabetes, the body grows new blood vessels to help, but the result is often leaky, dysfunctional vessels that make bad matters worse.

10 Oct 2017

Penn’s ITMAT 12th Annual International Symposium focuses on pain biology, aging, and brain disorders

The latest science in why pain afflicts people differently, precision medicine and brain disorders, and how the bat genome informs the study of human aging, among many other topics, will be covered at the University of Pennsylvania's Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics' 12th Annual International Symposium.

9 Oct 2017