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Music May Help Reduce Pain

Kathryn Doyle  |  

(Reuters Health)—As a complement to traditional pain relief tools, such as medication, listening to music may lessen acute or chronic pain related to cancer and other conditions, according to a new review. “We have seen and observed this effect in multiple clinical settings, such as medical hospitals and hospice-care facilities,” says author Dr. Jin Hyung…

Liposomal Bupivacaine Helpful in Total Knee Arthroplasty

David Douglas  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Local infiltration of liposomal bupivacaine in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) curbed use of opioids and antiemetics and appeared to be both beneficial and cost effective in a recent study. As Dr. Bryan Sakamoto told Reuters Health by email, the results “suggest that liposomal bupivacaine is effective as part of a…

Racial Bias Found in Pain Assessment, Management, Treatment Recommendations by Clinicians

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In the world of evidence-based medicine, basing diagnosis and treatment decisions on belief instead of data seems anachronistic. And yet … clinicians are human, and humans live in culture, and culture is formed by beliefs, and beliefs (consciously or unconsciously) drive perception and, often, action. So a new study shining a light on racial bias…

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Evidence Needed to Support Marijuana Use for Pain Relief in Rheumatologic Conditions

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With the chronic pain and other health issues that many rheumatology patients face every day, it’s natural for rheumatologists and their patients to wonder if cannabinoid treatments are of any help. At this point, there is insufficient evidence to recommend cannabinoid treatments to manage rheumatic diseases, according to a review article published in the May…

Conservative vs. Surgical: What Influences OA Treatment Choices?

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

Prior research has found that the use of surgery to treat osteoarthritis is increasing, while more conservative treatments, such as physical therapy, are underused. This disparity drove researchers to examine what influences a patient’s treatment choice. They found that a treatment’s characteristics—including a patient’s expectations for effectiveness and risk—affect decision making. Other influences: personal investment and circumstances, as well as support and advice from social networks and healthcare providers…

A Morphine Alternative with Less Overdose Risk?

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Scientists are testing an experimental drug that’s designed to have the painkilling power of morphine without some of the side effects that can lead to overdose deaths. Initial results in mice with the compound known for now as PZM21 suggest it might be less addictive than morphine and other opiate painkillers and avoid respiratory…

New FDA Warnings: Patients on SGLT2 Inhibitors at Risk of Acute Kidney Injury & Loperamide Abuse on the Rise

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The FDA is strengthening its warning that canagliflozin and dapagliflozin may increase the risk for acute kidney injury in some patients. Also, the FDA has issued a warning that patients should not exceed recommended doses of loperamide due to increased risks of serious cardiac events…

Exercise Therapy Recommended to Manage Knee Osteoarthritis

Allyn Bove, PT, DPT, & G. Kelley Fitzgerald, PT, PhD, FAPTA  |  

The benefits of exercise therapy for individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA) are well known. The ACR strongly recommends both aquatic exercise and land-based aerobic and resistance exercise for managing knee OA.1 A recent Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that high-quality evidence supports the use of exercise to reduce pain and improve physical function and…

Rheumatology Drug Updates: Labeling for Fluoroquinolones; FDA to Review Benzhydrocodone/Acetaminophen Combination

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FDA Restricts Fluoroquinolone Use The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has twice previously communicated safety information about systemic fluoroquinolones—in August 2013 and July 2008. The safety issues of this medication class described in its latest Drug Safety Communication were also discussed at a November 2015 FDA Advisory Committee meeting.1 The FDA is now advising…