Chronic Pain

Study shows COPD is associated with significant and persistent pain

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is primarily associated with the respiratory symptoms that are its hallmark, but in fact, patients who struggle with the disease also experience significant amounts of chronic ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Brain ultrasound improves mood

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques aimed at mental and neurological conditions include transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for depression, and transcranial direct current (electrical) stimulation ...

Neuroscience created May 16, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Chronic pain sufferers likely to have anxiety

Patients coping with chronic pain should also be evaluated for anxiety disorders, according to new research published in General Hospital Psychiatry.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 15, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Researchers identify how cells control calcium influx

(Medical Xpress)—When brain cells are overwhelmed by an influx of too many calcium molecules, they shut down the channels through which these molecules enter the cells. Until now, the "stop" signal mechanism that cells ...

Neuroscience created May 09, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Human brain cells developed in lab, grow in mice

A key type of human brain cell developed in the laboratory grows seamlessly when transplanted into the brains of mice, UC San Francisco researchers have discovered, raising hope that these cells might one day be used to treat ...

Medical research created May 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Pain can be contagious

(Medical Xpress)—The pain sensations of others can be felt by some people, just by witnessing their agony, according to new research.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

New Canadian guidelines for treating fibromyalgia

Physicians from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and the University of Calgary have published a review article in the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) to help family doctors diagnose and treat fibromy ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 06, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Persistent pain after stressful events may have a neurobiological basis

A new study led by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers is the first to identify a genetic risk factor for persistent pain after traumatic events such as motor vehicle collision and sexual assault.

Medical research created May 02, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Should doctors be involved in the concealed-weapons permit process?

In the wake of recent mass shootings such as the one in Newtown, Conn., physicians are increasingly being called on to pass judgment in the permitting process on whether their patient is physically and mentally competent ...

Health created Apr 18, 2013 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Anti-sickling therapies should be focus for sickle cell science

Pain is an undeniable focal point for patients with sickle cell disease but it's not the best focus for drug development, says one of the dying breed of physicians specializing in the condition.

Medical research created Apr 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Fearing abuse, US blocks generic OxyContin (Update)

U.S. health regulators will require generic versions of the best-selling painkiller OxyContin to include recent formulation changes designed to make the pill harder to abuse.

Medications created Apr 16, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

How does acupuncture work? The science behind the therapy explored

Even as medical acupuncture is increasingly being validated as an effective treatment for a broad range of medical conditions, what has been missing is an understanding of the basic science and mechanisms ...

Other created Apr 16, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Freezing nerves knocks pain out cold

Using a tiny ball of ice, a minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment called cryoneurolysis safely short circuits chronic pain caused by nerve damage, according to data being presented at the Society of Interventional ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Apr 14, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0

Same gene variant promotes pain in women, suppresses pain in men

More women than men develop chronic low back pain and sciatica. The explanation may lie with a gene variant that plays into the body's pain regulation.

Medical research created Apr 12, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Research examines effects of opioids on patients with sickle cell disease

Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) sought to shed light on the biopsychosocial and spiritual effects of taking prescribed opioids to treat noncancer pain. Such questions have received little examination ...

Medications created Apr 11, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Chronic pain is pain that has lasted for a long time. In medicine, the distinction between acute and chronic pain has traditionally been determined by an arbitrary interval of time since onset; the two most commonly used markers being 3 months and 6 months since onset, though some theorists and researchers have placed the transition from acute to chronic pain at 12 months. Others apply acute to pain that lasts less than 30 days, chronic to pain of more than six months duration, and subacute to pain that lasts from one to six months. A popular alternative definition of chronic pain, involving no arbitrarily fixed durations is "pain that extends beyond the expected period of healing."

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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