April 2012 Briefing - Pain Management

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pain Management for April 2012. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.

Sleep Measures Do Not Predict Clinical Pain in Fibromyalgia

FRIDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with fibromyalgia, spatial extent of pain, pain aftersensation, and negative mood account for approximately one-third of the variance in clinical pain, but sleep measures do not significantly predict pain, according to a study published in the April issue of The Journal of Pain.

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Hyperalgesia Similar With Drug Therapies for Heroin Addiction

THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Heroin-addicted patients treated with methadone or buprenorphine have a heightened sensitivity to pain, and the hyperalgesia does not change over the course of treatment, according to a study published in the April issue of The Journal of Pain.

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Botox Modestly Improves Chronic Headaches, Migraines

WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Botulinum toxin A provides a modest benefit for patients with chronic migraine headaches and chronic daily headaches, compared with placebo, according to a meta-analysis published in the April 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Hip Replacement Outcomes Similar With/Without Cement

TUESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- Hemiarthroplasty with the cemented Exeter implant provides pain relief comparable to hemiarthroplasty with the uncemented Alloclassic implant in elderly patients with a displaced femoral neck fracture, according to a study published in the April 4 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

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Patients With Acute Low Back Pain Have Poor Prognosis

TUESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- Few patients with acute low back pain (LBP), with or without sciatica, declare sick leave; however, approximately half have one or more recurrences and a considerable proportion experience chronic pain six months or longer after the initial episode, according to a study published in the April 15 issue of Spine.

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Oxiplex Improves Outcomes After Lumbar Discectomy

TUESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- The use of Oxiplex gel (containing carboxymethylcellulose, polyethylene oxide, and calcium) to coat the surgical site during discectomy procedures for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation is associated with improved clinical outcomes, according to a study published in the April 15 issue of Spine.

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Pain Coping Ability Impacts Lupus Symptomology

MONDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- Pain coping strategies can significantly impact the physical symptoms and psychological distress experienced by patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to a study published online April 13 in Arthritis Care & Research.

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High BMI Tied to Non-Specific Foot Pain, Plantar Heel Pain

MONDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- Increased body mass index (BMI) correlates with non-specific foot pain in the general population, and with chronic plantar heel pain in a non-athletic population, according to a meta-analysis published online April 13 in Obesity Reviews.

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Omega-3 Supplements Don't Benefit Patients With MS

WEDNESDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Omega-3 (ω-3) fatty acid supplements do not improve disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published online April 16 in the Archives of Neurology.

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Epidural Steroid Shot May Offer Modest Benefit in Sciatica

TUESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- For adults with lumbosacral radiculopathy, epidural steroid injections may be beneficial for short-term pain relief and improvements in functional capacity, according to a study published in the April 17 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Immunization Pain Reduced Using the Five S's Technique

MONDAY, April 16 (HealthDay News) -- Use of the five S's intervention (swaddling, side/stomach position, shushing, swinging, and sucking) reduces pain scores and crying time following administration of routine immunizations for 2- and 4-month-old infants, according to a study published online April 16 in Pediatrics.

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Alcohol Use With Opioids Common Even Without Abuse Past

MONDAY, April 16 (HealthDay News) -- Alcohol or sedative use during chronic opioid therapy (COT) for non-cancer pain puts patients at risk for adverse events such as respiratory depression or sedation, and the risk of concurrent use of central nervous system (CNS) depressants is not limited to patients with a history of substance abuse, according to a study published in the March issue of The Journal of Pain.

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Most Breast Cancer Survivors Experience Lasting Side Effects

FRIDAY, April 13 (HealthDay News) -- The majority of breast cancer survivors experience one or more treatment-related side effects, and the proportion remains stable at six years post-diagnosis, according to a study published in a special supplement to the April 15 issue of Cancer addressing the physical late effects of breast cancer treatment.

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Pain Correlates Most Strongly With Disability in Hispanics With RA

FRIDAY, April 13 (HealthDay News) -- For Hispanic patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), self-reported pain correlates most strongly with disability, according to a study published online April 5 in Arthritis Care & Research.

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Antidepressants Don't Worsen Parkinson's Symptoms

WEDNESDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- The antidepressants paroxetine and venlafaxine extended release (XR) reduce depression without worsening motor function in patients with Parkinson's disease, according to a study published online April 11 in Neurology.

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Pattern of Disc Degeneration Impacts Low Back Pain

WEDNESDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- Contiguous, multilevel disc degeneration (CMDD) is associated with increased likelihood of low back pain (LBP) and pain severity compared with skipped level disc degeneration (SLDD), according to a study published in the April 1 issue of Spine.

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Study Tests Unilateral Versus Bilateral Lumbar Fusion

MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with degenerative lumbar diseases, the unilateral pedicle screw (PS) instrumented transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedure results in shorter operative time, less blood loss, and reduced implant costs compared with a bilateral PS instrumented TLIF procedure, according to research published in the March issue of The Spine Journal.

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Report Highlights Child Deaths From Post-Surgery Codeine Use

MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified three previously unreported instances of severe opioid-induced toxicity in children following adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, according to a case report published online April 9 in Pediatrics.

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Targeted Exercise Relieves Sciatica Pain

MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Active conservative symptom-guided therapy for severe sciatica can safely reduce pain and improve neurological function at a rate that matches or surpasses outcomes from common higher-cost surgical interventions, according to a Danish study published in the April 1 issue of Spine.

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Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Lowers Health-Related QoL

FRIDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- Patients diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) have a substantial burden of illness and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQL) compared to the general population, and their HRQL is compounded by associated comorbidities, according to a study published in the March issue of The Spinal Journal.

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Physical Activity Predicts Functionality in Older Adults

FRIDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- Physically active older adults experience significantly fewer functional limitations than more sedentary older adults, according to a study published online April 5 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

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New Guidelines Issued for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment

THURSDAY, April 5 (HealthDay News) -- The 2008 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been updated for 2012, according to a special article published in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research.

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Medical Malpractice Claims Incur Substantial Defense Costs

WEDNESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Defense costs for medical malpractice claims vary among specialties and are higher for claims that result in indemnity payments, according to a letter published in the April 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Alcohol, Drug Use Prevalent Among U.S. Adolescents

WEDNESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Alcohol and drug use is prevalent among teens, with the median age of alcohol and drug abuse occurring during adolescence, according to a study published in the April issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

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