Pain Management News & Features

January 23, 2023 — Significantly fewer patients are being prescribed opioids when being discharged from hospital emergency departments, according to new analysis from the CDC.

January 10, 2023 — Actor Shailene Woodley shares her story of how she copes with scoliosis.

December 27, 2022 — An increase in foot injuries and problems are often seen during winter months. Specialists share tips for winterizing your feet.

November 16, 2022 — Blocking pain with medication may compromise a process that protects the gut from damage, Harvard researchers say.

August 26, 2022 — Annually, there are an estimated 17,730 new spinal cord injuries in the U.S. and 250,000 to 500,000 worldwide. The U.S. Senate has designated September as National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month.

August 26, 2022 — Doctors have long known music and sound can help soothe physical pain, but they didn’t know why. New research offers insight – and a surprise about volume.

July 25, 2022 — Cannabidiol (CBD) products made from hemp have gotten more popular in recent years. But how much can you trust what the label says, compared to what really is in CBD patches, creams, and lotions?

July 5, 2022 — A federal judge ruled in favor of three major U.S. drug distributors on Monday in a landmark opioid case, which accused the companies of causing a health crisis by distributing 81 million pills in 8 years in certain parts of West Virginia.

June 17, 2022 — McGill University researchers found that treating pain with anti-inflammatory drugs like steroids and NSAIDs may lead to chronic pain.

June 8, 2022 — Products with high THC-to-CBD ratios were linked with reduced pain, according to a new study.

May 11, 2022 — A new study that finds patients with unused opioid pills after surgery are much more likely to dispose of them properly if they have kits to do so.

April 4, 2022 — New research shows that between 2014 and 2017 fewer Americans under the age of 18  were prescribed narcotics for surgical pain, and these numbers dropped even more rapidly beginning in late 2017.

March 3, 2022 — Doctors don’t usually prescribe games to alleviate pain, but many people who suffer from chronic pain are using them anyway.

February 10, 2022 — The CDC has released an updated draft of its guidelines for prescribing opioids and is soliciting public comment before it moves forward with final recommendations.

January 26, 2022 — A small pilot study suggests that an injection of a patient's own fat cells can help ease the often-excruciating heel pain brought on by a condition known as plantar fasciitis.

January 10, 2022 — Thirty-six percent of doctors surveyed knew little or nothing about their legal requirements for patients with disabilities.

November 8, 2021 — A study found a fourfold jump since 2016 in the availability of the treatments, which claim to do everything from relieving pain to slowing aging.

September 1, 2021 — Doctor claims to have been 'teenage assassin' for notorious drug cartel; also charged with defrauding health programs of $5.1 million.

August 23, 2021 — Learn more about medical marijuana, which conditions are approved for it, and how to get a medical marijuana card in your state.

July 26, 2021 — The FDA warns accidental exposure to fentanyl pain patches is putting children's lives at risk.

June 14, 2021 — Many patients could get the same level of pain relief from ibuprofen or acetaminophen without the risk of addiction.

April 29, 2021 — Despite CBD's popularity and widespread use, new research finds it doesn't appear to reduce pain intensity.

April 21, 2021 — An emerging technology could zap your post-op pain away — little or no opioids needed.

August 17, 2020 — The recommendations, from the American College of Physicians and American Academy of Family Medicine (AAFP), cover acute musculoskeletal injuries -- woes ranging from sprained joints and strained muscles, to inflamed tendons and whiplash.

June 24, 2020 — Americans continue to look to the medicine cabinet for pain relief, with 1 in 10 using some type of prescription painkiller, a new U.S. government report says.

June 22, 2020 — Turns out that swearing can significantly increase your pain tolerance -- but only if you use real swear words, and not G-rated versions that mimic them, British researchers report.

May 28, 2020 — An injectable electrode could prove a better way to ease chronic nerve pain than opioid painkillers or bulky and expensive implants.

January 22, 2020 — Production and distribution of Excedrin Extra Strength and Excedrin Migraine products have been temporarily stopped

October 30, 2019 — Before a new prescription is written for more than 10 opioid pills, doctors must check a patient's pain medication history in the state prescribing database, and patients must sign an informed consent.

October 24, 2019 — People with chronic pain conditions are more likely to suffer pain on humid and windy days, according to a study that used smartphones to assess pain-weather connections.

October 15, 2019 — Researchers found that among patients who had the treatment at their center, 8% had complications. Most often, that meant a worsening in cartilage breakdown in the joint. But a small number of patients suffered bone loss or stress fractures.

May 30, 2019 — Previously, all forms of marijuana were prohibited in carry-on bags and checked luggage, the Associated Press reported.

April 10, 2019 — The FDA’s new warning says that stopping an opioid painkiller can cause uncontrolled pain or withdrawal symptoms. As a result, the patient may to try to get opioid pain meds from other sources. That’s behavior that can be confused with “drug-seeking” for abuse rather than pain relief.

April 9, 2019 — Some insurers had cited the CDC’s previous opioid guidelines and refused to pay for prescriptions for patients with cancer or sickle cell anemia, or other chronic pain conditions.

April 9, 2019 — In a 2015 study, researchers evaluated 75 marijuana edibles and found only 17% accurately labeled.

March 28, 2019 — And not only does her DNA allow Jo Cameron, a former school teacher from Scotland, to avoid physical pain, it also keeps her largely anxiety-free, too.

March 28, 2019 — Walgreens will sell the CBD products in Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vermont, South Carolina, Illinois and Indiana, according to CNBC.

March 22, 2019 — Curaleaf operates more than 40 marijuana dispensaries across 12 states and also offers hemp-derived products including lotions, tinctures, vape pens and patches.

January 29, 2019 — Researchers found changes in areas of the brain that affect pain and pain relief when study subjects were deprived of sleep.

January 9, 2019 — In a poll of medical marijuana patients in Michigan, more than half acknowledged having driven within two hours of consuming a cannabis treatment at least once during the prior six months. About 20 percent they had done so while "very high," while about half described being "a little high" while driving.

January 8, 2019 — The list of states approving medical or recreational use of marijuana and CBD keeps growing. Thirty-three states have passed medical marijuana laws. Twelve states have enacted CBD-explicit medical laws.

December 21, 2018 — Hundreds of clinics touting unapproved stem cell treatments have sprung up across the United States. But shoddy oversight may have led some hopeful patients to be seriously harmed, not helped, by these therapies, the FDA says.

December 18, 2018 — Researchers said the findings add to evidence that for most people with chronic pain, opioids should be a last resort, if they're prescribed at all.

December 14, 2018 — A study,of nearly 89,000 U.S. patients found that people given physical therapy for their pain were 7 percent to 16 percent less likely to fill a prescription for an opioid.

December 13, 2018 — While formal research into the benefits of aromatherapy poses many challenges, some evidence does suggest that the alternative treatment may help relieve nausea, anxiety, various types of pain, and a number of other conditions.

November 29, 2018 — A mountain climber from Maine is scaling rock walls again after having a new type of amputation surgery that eliminates the “phantom limb” effect.

November 2, 2018 — An FDA advisory committee did recommend for approval of Dsuvia in a 10-3 vote last month.  But the committee's chair took the highly unusual move of voicing his opposition at that time. Dr. Raeford Brown, a professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics at the University of Kentucky, urged the FDA to reject the drug.

October 18, 2018 — The company says there's a need for opioid pain medicines that don't require swallowing, because some patients have difficulty taking oral medication and may not have access to IV opioids. The FDA had earlier flagged two safety concerns.

October 15, 2018 — The survey, of more than 500 patients scheduled for surgery, found that more than three-quarters expected to get opioids afterward. Most also thought opioids were the most effective treatment for post-surgery pain.