Progressive Muscle Relaxation May Reduce Pain and Improve Sleep After Open Heart Surgery
Relaxation technique may help reduce pain and improve sleep after heart surgery
A single-center, single-blind RCT of 60 patients undergoing open heart surgery found that twice-daily Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) on…
A simple relaxation technique helped heart surgery patients cut pain from a 9 out of 10 to just 1.5 and sleep better within three days.
Hypnotic cognitive therapy reduces pain intensity in adults with spinal cord injury
Remote hypnosis therapy shows modest pain relief for adults with spinal cord injury
A randomized controlled trial in 127 community-residing adults with spinal cord injury and chronic pain found that 6 weeks of remote hypnoti…
Remote hypnosis therapy offered by phone or video call helped adults with spinal cord injury manage chronic pain and reduced depression symp…
Acupuncture and massage reduced pain in AYA cancer patients in small RCT subgroup analysis
Acupuncture and massage may help reduce pain in young adults with advanced cancer
A subgroup analysis of an RCT in 30 adolescent and young adult patients with advanced cancer found both acupuncture and massage reduced wors…
Young adults with advanced cancer reported less pain after receiving either acupuncture or massage, with massage showing slightly larger red…
Exercise with taping or orthoses reduces hallux valgus angle and pain in mild-to-moderate cases
Can simple exercises help straighten a bunion and ease the pain?
A network meta-analysis of 401 patients with mild-to-moderate hallux valgus found exercise therapy alone reduced hallux valgus angle versus …
Combining foot exercises with taping or special shoe inserts effectively straightens mild bunions and reduces pain better than exercise alon…
Lifetime opioid overdose reported by 55% of pregnant individuals with OUD in buprenorphine treatment study
What puts pregnant women with opioid addiction at highest risk for overdose?
A descriptive analysis of baseline data from a multisite RCT of 140 pregnant individuals with OUD receiving buprenorphine found 55% reported…
Pregnant women in opioid treatment face high overdose risk if they have used heroin, experienced trauma, or rely on others for money.
Carbamazepine linked to lower postoperative pain scores in tentorial meningioma resection
Could an old seizure drug help people recover from brain surgery with less pain?
A retrospective cohort study of 42 patients undergoing tentorial meningioma resection found those receiving postoperative carbamazepine (200…
An old seizure drug helped brain surgery patients report significantly less pain two and seven days after their operation compared to standa…
Antibiotic duration and type associated with chronic post-amputation pain in military cohort
Study finds link between antibiotic use and chronic pain after traumatic amputation
A retrospective cohort study of 212 military personnel with traumatic amputations found prolonged antibiotic use (>21 days) and combined reg…
Using antibiotics for more than 21 days or taking two or more types together increased the risk of chronic pain after traumatic amputation i…
Observational pain tools show utility for non-verbal children with neurocognitive impairment
Review finds pain assessment tools can help identify pain in non-verbal children
A systematic review of observational pain assessment tools for non-verbal children with neurocognitive impairment found these instruments de…
Observational tools like the FLACC scale help doctors spot pain in non-verbal children with neurocognitive impairments by watching facial ex…
Narrative review describes bidirectional relationship between sarcopenia and pain in older adults
Why do muscle loss and chronic pain feed off each other in older adults?
A narrative review synthesizes evidence on the connection between sarcopenia and pain in aging populations. It describes a bidirectional rel…
Older adults with chronic pain often lose muscle strength, while losing muscle makes pain worse, creating a dangerous cycle fueled by aging …
Auditory distraction and VR reduce pain during burn dressing changes in adults receiving morphine
Can music or VR help ease the agony of burn dressing changes?
A single-center RCT in 60 adults undergoing burn dressing changes found both auditory distraction and VR significantly reduced pain severity…
Listening to music or watching nature scenes on a headset reduced pain and improved breathing during burn dressing changes just as well as m…
VR application reduced pain and increased comfort after thyroid or parathyroid surgery in small RCT
Can a 15-minute nature video help ease pain after neck surgery?
A randomized controlled trial of 69 patients undergoing thyroid or parathyroid surgery found that a 15-minute VR application immediately red…
A 15-minute nature video in VR helped patients recovering from neck surgery feel less pain and more comfortable right after the session.
Mini-review summarizes AI applications for cancer pain assessment and management
Review explores how artificial intelligence might help manage cancer pain
A mini-review summarizes recent AI applications in cancer pain management, including assessment, opioid decision-making, and remote monitori…
Half of cancer patients face moderate-to-severe pain, and new AI tools could help manage it better, though real-world challenges remain befo…