Pain Assessment/Action Strategies Likely to Benefit Nursing Home Residents

Michael O’Leary

January 11, 2016

System-level interventions that link pain assessments to intervention measures are likely to be powerful tools for addressing pain in nursing home residents, according to a study published online in Pain Management Nursing.

Researchers led by Clint Douglas, RN, PhD, from the Wesley Mission Brisbane Pain Research Interest Group in Queensland, Australia, implemented a pain identification tool along with pain recognition training for nurses and (published site)

Stress Predicts Fibromyalgia Pain

Michael O’Leary

January 12, 2016

Stress is a powerful precursor of
fibromyalgia pain, but that pain does
not lead to more stress.

Stress is a powerful precursor of fibromyalgia pain, but that pain does not lead to more stress

Stress is a powerful precursor of fibromyalgia pain, but that pain does not lead to more stress, according to an ambulatory assessment study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology.1 (published site)

Few Try Evidence-based Nonpharmacologic Alternatives, Such as Yoga or Massage

Clinical Pain Advisor

December 17, 2015

Michael O’Leary

 
Heart failure patients rarely use evidence-based alternative treatments for comorbid chronic pain

Heart failure patients rarely use evidence-based alternative treatments for comorbid chronic pain, often resorting to opioids or contraindicated NSAIDs, according to a small, single-center study published in Heart & Lung: The Journal of Acute and Critical Care.^{1 (published site)}

Comorbid Insomnia Exacerbates Fibromyalgia Brain Changes

Clinical Pain Advisor
December 21, 2015

Michael O’Leary

Comorbid insomnia exacerbates fibromyalgia-related alterations in the default mode network (DMN), according to a novel clinical neuroimaging study published in Journal of Pain Research.¹

Researchers led by Christina S. McCrae, PhD, from the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO, used functional MRI (fMRI) to study brain activity in the intervals between applications of heat stimuli to the sole of the foot. The study population included 39 women with fibromyalgia and comorbid insomnia; 13 women with fibromyalgia alone served as controls.