Posts tagged knee pain
FDA Limits Acetaminophen in Prescription Pain Meds
Officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have announced that they will lower the maximum amount of acetaminophen permitted in narcotic painkillers such as Percocet and Vicodin. The FDA made this move because of reports of severe liver damage linked to acetaminophen in these combination drugs. Currently, combination opioid/acetaminophen painkillers can contain as much as 750 mg of acetaminophen, but over the next three years, the More >
Zen Meditation May Help Pain Control
Researchers have found that people who practice Zen meditation continue to feel pain, but they do not think about it as much as people who don’t engage in the activity. Using MRI scans, the scientists found that though meditators were aware of pain, the sensation wasn’t processed in the parts of their brain responsible for reasoning, appraisal, or memory formation. The researchers believe this means that meditation cuts the process of pain sensation More >
12 Health and Safety Tips for the Holiday Season
Experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are urging Americans to pay special attention to their health and to be safe this holiday season. That’s why they’ve come up with this list of 12 health and safety tips for the holiday season. The list is available as a downloadable holiday song, as a podcast, and as an easy-to-use holiday e-card.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/news-543300-98.html
Many Surgery Patients Feel ‘On Their Own’
Today, more than 65 percent of surgeries don’t require an overnight hospital stay, and even surgeries that once required weeks in the hospital now only require a few days. But experts say the body still requires the same amount of time to heal, and the trend toward short hospital stays is making patients responsible for more and more of their own recovery. In this article, a health reporter talks to these experts about how making patients who’ve undergone More >
Nearly 1 Million Fentanyl Pain Patches Recalled
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and drugmaker Actavis Inc. have announced that about one million Fentanyl patches used to treat such Chronic Pain conditions as arthritis and Cancer are being recalled from store and pharmacy shelves. Actavis voluntarily issued the recall after laboratory tests showed that the active ingredient in one batch of the patches was releasing medication into the bloodstream too quickly. This issue could cause a More >
Two Thirds of Spinal Fractures Misdiagnosed
According to the International Osteoporosis Association, two thirds of spinal fractures go undiagnosed and untreated. Many are misdiagnosed as arthritis or as simple back pain, and many of the patients who are diagnosed with spinal fracture have osteoporosis that is missed by their doctor. Researchers say undiagnosed spinal fractures increase the risk of disability and of future fractures.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/news-540092-98.html
Forteo May Help Regrow Jaw Bone
The osteoporosis drug Forteo may help regrow bone that has been damaged by jaw-bone destroying conditions such as osteonecrosis and periodontitis, researchers say. One study found that patients with periodontitis developed 10 times more bone around their teeth when taking Forteo than those who did not take the drug. The other study, which included only one person, found that Forteo helped reverse the jaw bone damage that may have been caused by her More >
Fibromyalgia, Restless Legs Linked in New Study
According to a new study, people who have the Chronic Pain condition fibromyalgia are 11 times more likely to have restless legs syndrome (RLS) than people who do not have the condition. The researchers say this may explain why so many people with fibromyalgia have sleep problems, since their finding suggests these sleep problems could be due to RLS. RLS can be treated with such drugs as Mirapex (pramipexole) or Requip (ropinirole).
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-540062-98.html
Yoga May Soothe Fibromyalgia, Arthritis Pain
A two-hour weekly Hatha yoga class that combines poses with meditation and discussion may help people who suffer from fibromyalgia and chronic pain, such as arthritis. A study found that the weekly practice reduce pain, fatigue, and stiffness by 30 percent in half of the women who participated. Researchers say that the results will need to be studied more, since the companionship of the weekly sessions may have spurred a placebo-like effect on some More >
‘Self-Touch’ May Ease Pain: Study
British researchers say an unusual practice of touching three fingers on one hand to three fingers on the other hand may reduce people’s feelings of pain. In a recent study, study participants were placed in a situation in which they thought they were experiencing extreme heat. The scientists found that those who touched all three fingers to the same fingers on the other hand felt 64 percent less painful heat than those who did not practice this form More >
Task Force Finds Further Bisphosphonate, Fracture Link
A new study suggests an even clearer link between osteoporosis-related bisphosphonates and thigh fractures than before. A task force looked at 310 patients who’d suffered a rare thigh fracture and found that 94 percent of them had been on bisphosphonates. Despite the study evidence, experts say that the medications do help prevent more common fractures, and that patients should continue to take them. The task for is recommending that the FDA change More >
Glucosamine, Chondroitin Don’t Work: Study
An analysis of large-scale studies has found that the popular arthritis joint supplements glucosamine and chondroitin do not actually help relieve the signs or symptoms of the condition. Scientists looked at data from ten published trials with 3,803 patients who had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. The researchers found “no clinically relevant effect” for either of these supplements on either pain or joint space narrowing among More >
Researchers Identify Risks for Pain Med Addiction
According to a new study in the journal Addiction, people who are most vulnerable to painkiller addiction share four primary risk factors. Researchers found that people who are under age 65, who have a history of depression, who have prior drug abuse, and who use psychiatric meds are more likely to become addicted to painkillers. The scientist found that people with these risk factors have addiction rates that are as high as 26 percent.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-536327-98.html
Long-Term Exercise May Reduce Veterans’ Muscle Pain
Researchers say that though exercising may initially worsen the aches and pains of U.S. veterans who suffer from musculoskeletal pain, exercising over a long period of time can help reduce these soldiers’ chronic pain. The scientists say their finding suggests that doctors need to encourage regular exercise for patients with Chronic Pain in order to prevent disability, and this is true despite the fact that early stages of an exercise program may More >
Type of Pain as Important as Pain Intensity: Study
New research published in the Journal of Pain suggests that the type of pain a patient experiences has as much impact on his or her quality of life as the intensity of the pain. In the study of 100 people with carpal tunnel syndrome, investigators found that specific pain qualities such as its sharpness, deepness, or sensitivity were linked with changes in the patients’ functioning above and beyond the pain’s intensity. The researchers also isolated More >
Painkillers Often How Drug Addicts First Get ‘Hooked’
According to a new study, detox patients addicted to street drugs often get hooked on legitimately prescribed medications first. Researchers interviewed 75 people hospitalized for opioid drug abuse and found that 31 of these patients first became addicted to legally prescribed painkillers. Twenty-four other patients said their addiction began when they stole drugs from their parents’ medicine supplies or used friends’ left-over prescription drugs. More >
Failure-Prone Hip Replacements Recalled
DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. is recalling two of its hip replacement products due to higher-than-expected rates of revision surgery due to improper fit of the implant. The two recalled systems are the ASR Hip Resurfacing System and the ASR XL Acetabular System. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned DePuy earlier in the week about illegal marketing practices of two other joint replacement products.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/news-533189-98.html
Many Chronic Pain Patients Do Not Get Adequate Relief: Study
Researchers have found that many black patients and women who have Chronic Pain do not receive adequate treatment for their pain from their primary care physicians. In a recent study, investigators discovered that black patients were prescribed fewer pain meds than white patients. They also found that the doses of painkillers given to women were often too weak to effectively manage their chronic pain. Young men were the most likely to receive effective More >
Protecting Your Knees Early May Prevent Problems Later On
Statistics have shown that nearly half of adults develop arthritis in at least one knee by age 85, and this condition is even more likely if a person is obese. But experts say making lifestyle changes such as losing weight and doing lower impact exercises in your youth may help you prevent arthritis and knee replacements later in life.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/news-533021-98.html
FDA Panel Rejects New Drug for Fibromyalgia
Experts with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have rejected the drug Xyrem (sodium oxybate) as a treatment for fibromyalgia, saying the risks of the sleep medication outweigh its possible benefits for treating the Chronic Pain condition. Xyrem is currently approved as a treatment for excessive sleepiness, but its active ingredient can be used as both an illegal stimulant and a date rape drug. Access to the drug is limited, and the FDA experts More >
FDA Panel Recommends Cymbalta for Back, Knee Pain
A panel of experts that advises the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recommended that the antidepressant Cymbalta be approved to treat people with chronic knee or lower back pain. The panel voted 8-6 in favor of the drug’s use in these patients, despite concerns that Cymbalta has been linked to liver damage and may not work in all patients. The FDA is not required to follow its expert panels’ recommendations, but it usually does.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-533016-98.html
Steroid Injection Site Determines Sciatica Relief: Study
Sciatica pain caused by herniated discs may be treated most effectively when steroids are injected straight into the spinal nerve, researchers say, and this approach could be an viable alternative to surgery.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-532218-98.html
Too Much, Too Little Sleep Plays a Role in Chronic Disease
New research has found that getting too much or too little sleep can increase a person’s chances of developing such chronic conditions as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease. Investigators found that getting seven to eight hours of sleep per night appeared to be the ideal amount to gain the maximum amount of health benefit and minimize the risk of cardiometabolic disease.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/news-532213-98.html