Pain

Commonly used catheters double risk of blood clots in ICU and cancer patients

Touted for safety, ease and patient convenience, peripherally inserted central catheters have become many clinicians' go-to for IV delivery of antibiotics, nutrition, chemotherapy, and other medications.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created 17 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New theory on genesis of osteoarthritis comes with successful therapy in mice

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have turned their view of osteoarthritis (OA) inside out. Literally. Instead of seeing the painful degenerative disease as a problem primarily of the cartilage that cushions joints, ...

Arthritis & Rheumatism created 13 hours ago | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

US psychiatry gets makeover in new manual

The latest makeover to a massive psychiatric tome honored by some, reviled by others and even called the "Bible" of mental disorders is being released Saturday with a host of new changes.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 18, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

For combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, 'fear circuitry' in the brain never rests

Chronic trauma can inflict lasting damage to brain regions associated with fear and anxiety. Previous imaging studies of people with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, have shown that these brain regions can over-or ...

Neuroscience created May 18, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Little evidence for prediction rules for low back pain

(HealthDay)—Few randomized clinical trials have been done to assess clinical prediction rules for patients with lower back pain, and the trials that have been done are of low quality and do not provide ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Illinois Senate approves medical marijuana bill

(AP)—Medical marijuana use in Illinois is now in Gov. Pat Quinn's hands after the state Senate approved legislation.

Other created May 17, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Physical & emotional impairments common, often untreated in people with cancer

A new review finds cancer survivors suffer a diverse and complex set of impairments, affecting virtually every organ system. Writing in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Julie Silver, M.D., associate professor at Harvar ...

Cancer created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

23 dead in initiation rites in South Africa

(AP)—Twenty-three youths have died in the past nine days at initiation ceremonies that include circumcisions and survival tests, South African police said Friday.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 17, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 4

How serotonin receptors can shape drug effects, from LSD to migraine medication

New findings by researchers carrying out experiments at the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science's Advanced Photon Source (APS) help explain why some drugs that interact with two kinds of human serotonin ...

Medical research created May 17, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Discectomy post-op pain worse in patients with retrolisthesis

(HealthDay)—The presence of retrolisthesis in patients undergoing decompressive surgery for a lumbar disc herniation may result in significantly worse lower back pain and physical function over four years, ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 16, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Scheduled imaging studies provide little help detecting relapse of aggressive lymphoma

Imaging scans following treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma do little to help detect a relapse, a Mayo Clinic study has found. The overwhelming majority of patients with this aggressive lymphoma already have symptoms, ...

Cancer created May 16, 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

Vitamin C does not lower uric acid levels in gout patients

Despite previous studies touting its benefit in moderating gout risk, new research reveals that vitamin C, also known ascorbic acid, does not reduce uric acid (urate) levels to a clinically significant degree in patients ...

Health created May 16, 2013 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 1

Study finds broad support for rationing of some types of cancer care

The majority of cancer doctors, patients, and members of the general public support cutting health care costs by refusing to pay for drugs that don't improve survival or quality of life, according to results of a new study ...

Cancer created May 15, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Long-term outcomes in patients with advanced coronary artery disease are better than expected

Death rates associated with patients with refractory angina, or chronic chest pain, are lower than previously considered; therefore, physicians should focus on relieving the chest pain symptoms and improving the quality of ...

Cardiology created May 15, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Pain is an unpleasant sensation often caused by intense or damaging stimuli such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting alcohol on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone." The International Association for the Study of Pain has a definition that is widely used: "Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage".

Pain motivates the individual to withdraw from damaging situations, to protect a damaged body part while it heals, and to avoid similar experiences in the future. Most pain resolves promptly once the painful stimulus is removed and the body has healed, but sometimes pain persists despite removal of the stimulus and apparent healing of the body; and sometimes pain arises in the absence of any detectable stimulus, damage or disease.

Pain is the most common reason for physician consultation in the United States. It is a major symptom in many medical conditions, and can significantly interfere with a person's quality of life and general functioning. Psychological factors such as social support, hypnotic suggestion, excitement, or distraction can significantly modulate pain's intensity or unpleasantness.

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

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