Opening up to patients about a medical condition is a personal choice for physicians. But for Richard Brasington, MD, who has chronic back pain and arthritis, it helps him communicate with and connect to some of his patients. In an interview, he provides insights into his experiences managing pain on the job…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Brain connectivity differences predict placebo responses in patients with chronic knee osteoarthritis, researchers report. Positive medical responses to placebo treatments are common, but the underlying central nervous system mechanisms remain unclear. Dr. Marwan N. Baliki and colleagues from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago used resting-state functional MRI…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Medical cannabis reduces chronic pain patients’ opioid use, while improving their quality of life, according to a new survey of Michigan cannabis dispensary patrons. “They report that when they make that switch they overall feel better,” Dr. Daniel J. Clauw of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, told Reuters Health in a…
Why rheumatic pain is more than a joint issue
Comfort Ability program provides psychological strategies to help children self-manage symptoms
A new study links high costs to patients with chronic pain conditions and an opioid prescription.
Spouses provide help to their partners, but also need help themselves
Maksymowych et al. assessed the frequency of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) according to extra-articular presentation and human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27) status and sought to identify features that distinguish patients with axSpA from those with non-specific back pain. Their data support recommendations that patients with chronic back pain and extra-articular features related to axSpA be screened for axSpA with MRI and referred to a rheumatologist.
Researchers examined the benefits of two acupressure approaches for treating low back pain, finding that patients who self-administered stimulating acupressure experienced a significant decrease in fatigue associated with their chronic pain…
The FDA is considering an application for subcutaneous tanezumab, a monoclonal antibody, as a treatment for moderate to severe osteoarthritis…