Subjectivity and the differences in how patients with autoimmune and other diseases perceive pain make the study and treatment of pain difficult. But Yvonne Lee, MD, says future advances in neuroimaging may aid in the objective study of pain and innovative treatments…
Patients with osteoarthritis often consider total knee replacement surgery to resolve pain and increase mobility. However, a recent study found that self-reported knee instability and pain are prevalent in patients both before and after primary unilateral total knee replacement surgery. One-third of the study’s participants still had knee instability after surgery, experiencing knee buckling and shifting associated with pain and limited activity. Using physical performance measurements, researchers linked self-reported knee instability following surgery to pain and poor lower-extremity muscle strength…
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…
(Reuters Health)—Mind-based therapy programs may help ease chronic back pain, new research suggests. Patients who took part in such programs were more likely to have noticeable and lasting improvements in back pain than those who stuck to their usual routines, investigators found. Both of the approaches tested in the study—mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and cognitive…
(Reuters)—Addressing a growing “epidemic” of opioid overdoses and abuse of the prescribed painkillers in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday released voluntary guidelines that instruct primary care doctors to sharply deter use of the medicines for chronic pain. “Overprescribing opioids, largely for chronic pain, is a key driver of America’s…
In Phase 2 trials, the oral opioid, CR845, has proved promising in treating pain in patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis. Olokizumab is being investigated to treat RA, and in Canada, adalimumab has been approved to treat polyarticular JIA in 2–4 year-olds…
(Reuters Health)—People with chronic pain may be able to use online tools to manage their symptoms, lessening the need for frequent doctor visits, an Australian study suggests. Researchers tested a series of web-based pain management tutorials on a group of adults who had been suffering symptoms for more than six months. Regardless of how much…
For patients living with a chronic disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, learning to manage and cope with the myriad adverse symptoms that accompany these diseases is key to improving quality of life and helping reduce the cost burden of these illnesses on the healthcare system. One important way rheumatologists can help is by…
How to manage the risks when prescribing medications for patients in chronic pain
Comfort Ability program provides psychological strategies to help children self-manage symptoms