A study from Haibel et al. in patients with chronic knee arthritis found intra-articular morphine did not lead to a significant, short-term reduction in pain compared with placebo and proved inferior to treatment with intra-articular triamcinolone.

A study from Haibel et al. in patients with chronic knee arthritis found intra-articular morphine did not lead to a significant, short-term reduction in pain compared with placebo and proved inferior to treatment with intra-articular triamcinolone.
Pain is more than nociception, and pain management is more than medication. Delia Chiaramonte, MD, provided insights into how rheumatologists can help their patients ease and manage chronic pain.
Reuters Staff |
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Oral synthetic cannabis products that have a high tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to cannabidiol (CBD) ratio, as well as extracted cannabis products with comparable THC-to-CBD ratios, may provide moderate, short-term improvements in chronic pain, a large systematic review of relevant research suggests.1 However, these products are also associated with higher risks for side effects,…
Doebl et al. compared the effect of symptoms and the healthcare use of people with fibromyalgia with those who fulfilled the criteria for fibromyalgia but had not been diagnosed and those with chronic pain. They found patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia reported the poorest healthcare experiences and were more likely than other study participants to be unemployed due to health issues. Their findings reveal an urgent need exists for a model of care for patients with fibromyalgia.
Deborah Levenson |
A recent paper illustrates how using different fibromyalgia criteria affects reports of its prevalence.1 Writing in Arthritis Care & Research, researchers found the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks–American Pain Society Pain Taxonomy (AAPT) criteria caused far more people to be categorized as having fibromyalgia than criteria put forth by…
PRSYM—At its heart, the practice of medicine in all forms is specifically centered on delivering compassionate, thoughtful and evidence-based clinical care. In the world of pediatric rheumatology, a range of issues, such as chronic pain, reproductive health and transitioning to adult providers, are of utmost importance to patients and physicians alike. These topics were addressed…
Clinicians can help their patients tap into personal resilience, and such characteristics as grit, gratitude and grace, to manage their chronic pain, says Afton L. Hassett, PsyD.
Younger individuals (<50 years) have a stronger genetic component in their fibromyalgia score than older individuals (>60 years), according to a study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.1 Studies that suggest a strong familial component to fibromyalgia have often focused on individuals with primary fibromyalgia who did not have another accompanying disorder, the study authors report….
A recent pilot study explores the feasibility of virtual reality-based pain interventions for people with rheumatic conditions.1 Although the work is in its early stages, it may someday represent a new non-pharmacological tool for patients with chronic pain. VR for Treatment R. Swamy Venuturupalli, MD, FACR, is an associate clinical professor of medicine at the…
COVID-19 isn’t the only viral infection on the rise across the globe, so is chikungunya, which can cause arthritis-like symptoms and may lead to long-term joint pain.