Pain Management

CDC Opioid Prescribing Guidelines for Chronic Pain Improved Postoperative Prescribing Trends

By

Lauren Biscaldi

The aim of this study was to examine changes in postoperative opioid dispensing after vs before the CDC guideline release in March 2016.

Benefit, Safety of Muscle Relaxants for Low Back Pain Uncertain

Considerable uncertainty exists about the clinical efficacy and safety of muscle relaxants for the treatment of low back pain.

Fentanyl 50 mcg/mL Ready-to-Use Prefilled Syringes Now Available

By

Brian Park, PharmD

The Simplist ready-to-administer prefilled syringes require no assembly or point-of-care preparation.

Physician Knowledge Linked to Less Opioid Prescribing From 2015 to 2017

During 2015 to 2017, physician knowledge was associated with less frequent prescribing of opioids for back pain.

Recommended Therapy for Low Back Pain May Cut Lost Workdays

When injured workers with low back pain (LBP) receive guideline-recommended interventions, they typically return to work sooner.

Bupivacaine and Meloxicam Solution Now Available for Postsurgical Analgesia for Up to 72 Hours

Zynrelef is a dual-acting local anesthetic that delivers a fixed-dose combination of bupivacaine, an amide local anesthetic, and meloxicam, an NSAID.

Preoperative Epidural Analgesia Decreases Cardiac Events, Mortality Risk Among Patients With Hip Fracture

The researchers’ goal was to determine the efficacy and safety of presurgical epidural analgesia for hip fracture patients undergoing surgical repair.

Opioid Dose, Treatment Length Linked to Adverse Health Care Events and Outcomes

The researchers’ goal was to estimate the risk of harm associated with opioid dose and duration of use and then to determine whether the risk is modified by the patients’ treatment indication and age.

Flotation-REST Provides No Long-Term Improvement in Chronic Pain

The investigator’s objective was to determine whether 5 flotation-restricted environmental stimulation therapy (REST) sessions alleviate chronic pain.

NSAIDs Better Than Codeine for Outpatient Postoperative Pain

For adult outpatients, use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with better pain scores and better global assessments.

Pregabalin, But Not Cannabinoids, Effective for Chronic Spinal Cord Injury Pain

The researchers aimed to determine the efficacy and withdrawal rates of therapies used to manage the chronic pain of spinal cord injury as well as the incidence of adverse events.

How Do “Swear” Words Affect Pain Onset and Tolerance?

The researchers created two new “swear” words and assessed the pain-relieving effects of saying these new words during an ice-water pain challenge.

Exercise and Manual Therapy Modulate Pressure Pain Thresholds for Patients With Shoulder Pain

This systematic review and meta-analysis analyzes whether interventions for patients with shoulder pain can modify quantitative sensory testing parameters.

Calcium Regulation Gene May Have Causal Role in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

A team of researchers conducted a genome-wide association study to gain insight into the genetics of chronic widespread pain

Stigma Associated With Poorly Understood Chronic Pain Detrimental to Overall Well-Being

The researchers compared well-being and feelings of stigmatization in people with well understood conditions and in those with less understood condition, fibromyalgia, using daily diaries.