Everyday pain management ideas

A recent study, supported by Proove Biosciences, sheds an interesting light on perception of pain. The research project studied 2,721 subjects who suffer chronic pain and divided them into four subgroups based on their genetic makeup--COMT, DRD2,DRD1,OPRK1.  All of the subjects were currently prescribed opioid medications for their respective conditions. All of the subjects were asked to rate their pain on a scale of zero to 10; those who rated their pain at zero were eliminated from the study.  The results, based on the four groups above, were as follows: DRD1 gene variant was 33% more prevalent in the low pain group than in the high pain group. In the moderate group, COMT and OPRK1 gene variants were found 25% and 19% more often respectively, than in the high pain group. Lastly, the DRD2 variant was 25% more common in the high pain perception category than in the moderate group. Study author Tobore Onoijighofi , MD says that this finding helps to ...

I am sharing this infographic as a public service reminder that September is Pain Awareness month. Please take a moment to have a look--there's a lot of interesting information here! Image source: Pattienttalk.org

Back in 2010, a study published in the Journal of Pain suggested that overweight/obese persons with fibromyalgia syndrome had greater pain sensitivity, decreased quality of sleep, and reduced physical strength an flexibility. This might lead some to believe the combination of being overweight and having fibromyalgia is hopeless.... Interestingly enough, the study did not mention whether or not the subjects were overweight prior to their diagnosis, or if coping with the struggles of fibromyalgia led to weight gain.  In either case, weight management has its benefits and it's always a good idea for all of us be cognizant of our weight and our eating habits... Now, fast forward to 2014.  In a study published in Rheumatology International, Castel et. al concluded that there is no real difference in response to multi modal treatment for fibromyalgia with respect to body weight/body mass index. This is good news.....multi modal treatment of fibromyalgia see...

According to a March 2014 article in Pain Medicine News ,  studies are underway to assess use of the Herpes Simplex virus to deliver genetic instructions to the central nervous system to "rewrite" pain signals at their source. After having success in animal models, the studies continue in human clinical trials.  It is entirely possible that this will become a safe and effective approach to chronic pain management in three to five years. Dr. David Fink, a neurologist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and Joseph Glorisio, Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, along with their colleagues at Periphagen Holdings are taking the lead in this new and exciting frontier in pain management! Here is a simple schematic of how this approach might work: Source: Pain Medicine News; Wikimedia

As a follow up to yesterday's post, I would like to share an example-- how early interventions to treat pain at the source make good sense. Thoracic placement of spinal cord stimulator image source: wikimedia Spinal cord stimulators are medical devices that have been in existence since the late 1960s-early 1970s. When a patient has chronic back pain, a device like this can be surgically implanted ..the actual device sits in the abdomen, while the electrodes are placed in the epidural space of the spine.  Once activated, the device sends electrical impulses that scramble the pain signal, and in doing so, muffle the pain sensation for that patient.  The device is programmable, so that it the signals it emits can be adjusted  after implantation as needed by the patient's health care team. A recent study at Regina General Hospital in Saskatchewan regarding these devices yielded some interesting results.  Krishna Kumar, MD and his group studied 443 ...

Here's some help from the American Chronic Pain Association : "Everyone who lives with chronic pain--or cares about someone who does--is different. But at the same time we all have common interests. We are a kind of community and deserve to have our voices heard. The materials and information here can help you reach out to others to help them better understand the social, economic, and personal interests related to pain.  Sometimes, the best way to help yourself is to help someone else." Image source: wikimedia Here are some resources for those who suffer from chronic pain, and their caregivers: More about Pain Awareness Month         Image source: wikimedia Partners for Understanding Pain Tool Kit for Older Adults

In light of the suicidal death of Robin Williams, and the news of his problems with depression and Parkinson's Disease, it seems appropriate to revisit the connection between chronic pain and depression. So today, I am sharing a patient guide from Pain Management News about this subject. If you would like to print a copy out for yourself, click here . Click on the image there to obtain a printable copy. Image source: PainMedicineNews