THURSDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) — Mental distractions can act as a form of pain relief, according to a new study.
Study volunteers were asked to complete a difficult or easy memory task while a painful level of heat was applied to their arms. The participants perceived less pain when they were more distracted by the harder of the two memory tasks.
Using functional MRI, the German researchers also found that the lower levels of pain were associated with reduced activity in the spinal cord.
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) — New research finds that a minimally invasive surgical procedure to treat hernias results in less chronic pain and a faster recovery when compared to a traditional approach.
One expert, however, said the older strategy may still be the best option in some cases.
MONDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) –
Older patients prescribed narcotic painkiller drugs, such as codeine or oxycodone, soon after short-stay surgery are at increased risk of becoming long-term users, a new study finds.
Canadian researchers looked at data from almost 400,000 patients aged 66 and older who had short-stay surgery for cataracts, gallbladder removal, prostate tissue removal or varicose vein stripping.
THURSDAY, March 8 (HealthDay News) — Adults under the age of 50 who live in low-income neighborhoods experience more chronic pain than those in more affluent communities, new research finds.
Blacks, however, experienced more chronic pain and disability than whites regardless of where they lived, according to the researchers from the University of Michigan.
MONDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) — Whole-body CT scans can confirm immediately whether severe trauma patients have certain injuries, but these tests could miss other serious problems if performed too early, a new study indicates.
The German researchers concluded that most emergency-room CT scans are done too soon, and could miss significant internal injuries. For the best results, the study authors concluded, emergency-room doctors should wait at least 30 minutes before ordering CT scans.
THURSDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) — A new medication that helps prevent strokes in people with the abnormal heart rhythm disorder known as atrial fibrillation poses less risk of bleeding in the brain than a commonly used drug, research comparing rivaroxaban (Xarelto) and warfarin suggests.
Anti-clotting medications, also called blood-thinners or anticoagulants, include warfarin (Coumadin) and aspirin, among others. In patients with atrial fibrillation, these drugs can reduce the risk of ischemic stroke, which occurs when a vessel becomes clogged by a blood clot. But the drugs can also cause excessive bleeding because they make it harder for blood to clot.
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) — Antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are associated with an increased risk of falls in nursing home residents with dementia, a new study finds.
Researchers in the Netherlands analyzed data about daily prescription medicine use and falls among 248 nursing home residents with dementia. The dataset collected between Jan. 1, 2006 and Jan. 1, 2008 included 85,074 person-days.
THURSDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) — Researchers have identified six risk factors linked to blindness after spine surgery, a rare but devastating complication.
Known as ischemic optic neuropathy, or ION, the complication occurs when the optic nerve located behind the eyeball is injured. It is estimated to occur in as many as one in 1,000 spine surgeries. Though rare, it can happen to healthy patients at any age, according to researchers.
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 21 (HealthDay News) — Starting aquatic therapy within days after total knee replacement appears to improve patient outcomes, but that’s not the case for those who’ve had a total hip replacement, according to a new study.
The number of patients having total knee and hip replacements is increasing, but there is a lack of agreement about the best type of post-surgical treatment, noted the German researchers.
MONDAY, Dec. 19 (HealthDay News) — Knee pain is common in middle-aged and older women, a new study finds.
Researchers analyzed 12 years of data collected from nearly 500 women, ages 44 to 57, in Britain and found that 63 percent of those 50 and older reported persistent, incident or intermittent knee pain.
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