Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Teatments based on behaviour could reduce prescription drug use

New psychological treatments - behavioural medicine - could significantly reduce the need for drug treatments for some conditions, cutting health system costs says an editorial in this week's British Medical Journal.

27 Feb 2006

Study associates meniscal damage with advanced cartilage loss in early osteoarthritis

Cartilage loss is a major component of osteoarthritis (OA), a joint disease that affects over 20 million Americans. In knee OA, cartilage loss is influenced by knee injury, as well as obesity and age. Every healthy knee is supported and protected by a pair of meniscus.

27 Feb 2006

Combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate may be effective in some patients with moderate-to-severe knee pain

Offering hope for millions of people who suffer the most from osteoarthritis, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has found that the combined use of two dietary supplements - glucosamine and chondroitin - provided significant pain relief from the most common form of arthritis.

24 Feb 2006

Statins lessen heart attack risk

For patients with undiagnosed heart disease, taking medications known as statins and beta-blockers may mean the difference between suffering a heart attack as a first symptom versus experiencing mild chest pain.

24 Feb 2006

Study shows brain anticipates taste

Now, however, scientists have begun to peel back some of the neurological secrets of this remarkable phenomenon and show how the brain can be rewired in anticipation of sensory input to respond in prescribed ways.

24 Feb 2006

Coronary stents that release the drugs sirolimus or paclitaxel produce similar results

Use of coronary stents that release the drugs sirolimus or paclitaxel produced similar results in patients with new coronary artery lesions, according to a study in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

24 Feb 2006

Efficacy of glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate may depend on level of osteoarthritis pain

The popular dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate proved no better than a placebo in relieving osteoarthritis knee pain in most participants of a major national trial.

23 Feb 2006

Alcoholism, smoking and genetics among Plains American Indians

Alcoholism and smoking have a high rate of co-occurrence in the general population. Yet little is known about the co-morbidity of alcoholism and smoking among American Indians.

23 Feb 2006

Glucosamine/Chondroitin combo helps those with moderate to severe joint pain

According to a new study by the National Institutes of Health, people with moderate to severe joint discomfort found that a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin resulted in significant pain and function improvement.

23 Feb 2006

External counterpulsation not effective as a treatment for heart failure

A new review of studies supports the government's opinion that too little evidence exists to support a device that uses balloon-like pants as a treatment for heart failure.

23 Feb 2006

Statins and beta blockers may reduce heart attack risk

For patients with undiagnosed heart disease, taking a statin or beta blocker could mean the difference between experiencing mild chest pain, or having a full-blown heart attack as a first symptom. That's the finding of a Kaiser Permanente study in the February 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

21 Feb 2006

Chewing gum after bowel surgery gets you out of hospital sooner

According to a team of doctors at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California, patients who chew gum following intestinal surgery leave hospital sooner.

21 Feb 2006

Breakthrough anti-inflammatory treatment

Scientists from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have developed what could be the next big blockbuster treatment for inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.

21 Feb 2006

$Calcium and Vitamin D helps reduce risk of hip fractures in older women$

Calcium and Vitamin D helps reduce risk of hip fractures in older women

Taking calcium and Vitamin D slightly decreased the risk of hip fractures in older women, but not the risk for other types of fractures or for colorectal cancer, according to the latest findings from the federally funded Women's Health Initiative. Additionally, the supplements slightly increased the incidence of kidney stones.

21 Feb 2006

Topical anaesthesia and morphine effective in treating procedural pain in newborn infants

Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have found that intravenous morphine used alone or with a topical anaesthetic (tetracaine) effectively reduced levels of pain in newborn infants undergoing insertion of central venous catheters (central lines).

17 Feb 2006

Unexpected rheumatoid arthritis discovery

What makes joints in people with rheumatoid arthritis, and related conditions like Lyme disease or lupus, so susceptible to attack by the body's immune system, leading to painful flare-ups and deterioration? The answer may surprise you.

17 Feb 2006

Acupressure more effective than physical therapy in alleviating back pain

Acupressure (applying pressure with the thumbs or fingertips to the same points on the body stimulated in acupuncture) seems to be more effective in reducing low back pain than physical therapy, finds a study published online by the British Medical Journal.

17 Feb 2006