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Welcome to Pain-Topics.org...

Helping you to make the most of your time on the Internet.

The mission of Pain Treatment Topics is to serve as a noncommercial resource for healthcare professionals & their patients, providing open access to clinical news, information, research, and education for a better understanding of evidence-based pain-management practices.

Visit the Site Overview for an explanation of the various tabs and sections.

StarSee the Announcements Box below for special updates and news of importance.

  Pain-Topics Exclusive = Pain-Topics.org exclusive offering.

   New = Newly added during this past week.

 

Newest Additions/Updates

 

Pain-Topics ExclusiveLatest Pain-Topics News/Research UPDATES

Updates Weblog

New St. John’s Wort May Thwart Opioid Analgesia

Chronic pain is often associated with depression and many herbal over-the-counter remedies for self-treatment of depression or anxiety contain St. John’s wort. New research suggests that taking this herbal product can incur drug interactions that may reduce effects of oxycodone and many other opioid analgesics. Read more>

New Chronic Pain Linked to Low Vitamin D in Men

Research on the association of vitamin D status with pain conditions continues to accumulate. In this latest study, a multinational European group of researchers found in a large sample of men that having musculoskeletal pain, particularly chronic widespread pain, was significantly influenced by low levels of vitamin D.  Learn more>

Pain-Topics Exclusive Other Recent Pain-Topics UPDATES of Interest...

UPDATES

> Study Supports Tai Chi for Fibromyalgia Pain

> Pharmacotherapies for Neuropathic Pain Reviewed

> U.S. FDA Delays Opioid REMS Until 2011

> Women Suffer Chronic Pain More Than Men

> Monitoring, Counseling Curb Rx-Opioid Misuse

> Criteria for Diagnosing Early-Stage RA Published

See Table of Contents for ALL Updates>

Stay Updated on UPDATES, Register for e-Notifications>

RSS Feed View & Subscribe to UPDATES RSS Feed>

 

 

New Pain-Treatment GUIDELINES

Pain Tx Guidelines

New The Diagnosis and Treatment of Heel Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline Revision

From: American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. 2010.

This revised, 20-page guideline includes algorithms for the diagnosis and treatment of plantar and posterior heel pain, plus other etiologies of heel pain. Treatment recommendations vary, depending on the origin of the pain, but can range from a change in footwear or analgesic therapy to injection modalities or surgery. Learn more>

VA/DoD Guideline for the Management of
  Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain

These updated guidelines for use in ambulatory settings discuss all levels of pain management from assessment to patient education, with an emphasis on the proper and safe prescribing of long-term opioid therapy.

Access the document here>

 

 

Resources for Patients

Patient Resources

New Arthritis Symptoms by Body Part

From: Arthritis Foundation; undated.

This website has an easy-to-use pictorial approach for selecting a specific body joint and learning more about the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis. Treatment considerations for each joint vary but can include discussions on drug therapy, conservative measures such as braces, techniques to reduce pain, and surgical procedures. See details>


New [Arthritis] Drug Guide

From: Arthritis Foundation; Undated; Multiple topics.

Consumers should know about drugs that have been prescribed or are available over-the-counter for symptoms of arthritis. This resource provides information on effectiveness, side effects, dosing, and special instructions for each medication. See details>

Update – What to Do With Leftover Medications?

New guidance from the FDA recommends the disposal of almost all opioid medicines via flushing down the toilet. See details>

 

 

Latest Continuing Education Postings

CME Courses

Fibromyalgia: Overcoming Barriers to Diagnosis & Treatment

From: National Fibromyalgia Association and others, 2010
This program discusses the barriers to FMS diagnosis, including findings in neuroimaging, cerebrospinal fluid, and neuroendocrine function. Emphasis is placed on developing an individualized treatment regimen that is frequently multimodal and multidisciplinary and should match the needs of the patient’s lifestyle. See details>

What Do I Need to Know About Gout?

From: Journal of Family Practice, 2010.
This educational activity focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of gout in patients visiting primary care practitioners. The discussion includes comorbidities contributing to acute gout flares and pain relief for acute or chronic gout. Case study examples and patient care plans are included.
See details and access course>

 

 

Opioid Rx & Safety

Opioid Rx 

PCSS Guidance on Methadone and Drug Interactions

From: Physician Clinical Support System for Methadone (PCSS-M); Elinore F. McCance-Katz, MD, PhD; July 2010.
This paper is based on an updated examination of medical literature and is more current but less comprhensive than the earlier paper from Pain Treatment Topics on the same topic. Access both papers here>

Understanding Opioid Metabolism

Review describes the basics of opioid analgesic metabolism and the factors influencing it. See details>

 

 

Clinical Concepts: Pain Therapies Update - 2010

ACPA Consumer Guide to Pain Medication & Treatment

Clinical ConceptsFrom: American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA), 2010.

Document provides current information on pharmacotherapies as well as their potential side effects, and other treatments for pain. Iit is perhaps the most concise and complete document of its kind, which also makes it an excellent reference for all healthcare providers. See details>

 

 

Pain & Disability Assessment Tools to Note

Assessment ToolsOur listing of Pain & Disability Assessment Tools is one of the most frequently visited features. We continually work to make this the most comprehensive offering available anywhere.


Tools for Assessing Neuropathic Pain
By: Giorgio Cruccu, Andrea Truini; PLoS Medicine; 2009.
See details & access this article>

Diagnosing FMS Without Counting Tender Points

FibromyalgiaNew approaches have been developed for use in daily practice to establish a diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and to measure its severity without the need to count tender points. Such diagnostic criteria also can be used to detect fibromyalgia as a comorbidity in other clinical illnesses, and may be easier for some practitioners to use than traditional ACR criteria. See discussion in the UPDATES weblog>

 

 

Announcements SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS RedStar

 

Buprenorphine Analgesic Patch Approved

Purdue LogoPurdue Pharma L.P. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its Butrans™ (buprenorphine) transdermal system for the management of moderate to severe chronic pain. Buprenorphine, previously approved only in parenteral form for analgesia in the U.S., is a unique opioid offering potential benefits for patients needing long-term around-the-clock analgesia. See details in our Newsroom>

 

Plan Now for Continuing Ed This Fall...

 

AAPM Conference September 21-24, 2010

AAPM LogoRegistration for the AAPM (American Academy of Pain Management) 21st Annual Clinical Meeting in Las Vegas, NV, is now available online. This is the only educational conference that truly addresses multimodal and integrative approaches for pain management and attracts healthcare professionals representing diverse disciplines. It is a genuinely unique learning and networking opportunity. See details in the Newsroom>

 

PAINWeek September 8-11, 2010

PAINweekThe goal and vision of PAINWeek 2010 in Las Vegas, NV, is to disseminate knowledge and tools to frontline clinicians who are faced with treating the majority of patients in pain. PAINWeek offers 100+ hours of continuing education. See details in the Newsroom>

 

AATOD Conference 2010 -- October 23-27 -- Chicago

AATOD LogoAmerican Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) conferences attract an eclectic mix of healthcare providers, international stakeholder organizations, government regulators, and patient advocates. A vital focus is on the critical role of medication assisted treatment for opioid dependence and the evidence-based science behind it. This is of special importance for the pain field, as many persons coming into addiction treatment today are dependent on opioid analgesics. See details in Newsroom>
  

 

Register for e-NotificationsPlease bookmark this site for ongoing reference. And, as we continually update Pain-Topics.org, let us keep you posted by e-mail of when this site is changed or there is important news to announce — Register for e-Notifications.

 

Become a Pain-Topics.org Supporter

Become a SupporterPain Treatment Topics provides non-commercial information and education on the causes and effective management of pain. To do this, we rely on support in the form of annual educational grants and, through these, we are able to provide all offerings absolutely free and without restriction to site visitors. Learn how your organization can participate in helping to support this website. See information>

 

Thank you, for visiting, and we hope to see you here often.
Stewart B. Leavitt, MA, PhD, Executive Director

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Bulletins

Editor's Notebook

Newsroom


 

Affiliates

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American Academy of Pain Management
American Academy
of Pain Management


American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence

American Association
for the Treatment of
Opioid Dependence

American Chronic Pain Association
American Chronic Pain
Association


American College of Apothecaries

American College
of Apothecaries

American Pain Foundation
American Pain
Foundation

American Society of Pain Educators
American Society of
Pain Educators


European Opiate Addition Treatment Association

European Opiate
Addiction Treatment
Association


National Fibromyalgia Association

National Fibromyalgia
Association


Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association

Reflex Sympathetic
Dystrophy Syndrome
Association


Trigeminal Neuralgia Association

Trigeminal Neuralgia
Association

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This page was last updated 8/29/10