PainWeek 2013

Serum levels of pituitary, adrenal, and gonadal hormones are the most objective biomarkers of severe uncontrolled pain, said Forest Tennant, MD, DrPH to attendees at PAINWeek 2013.

Opioid safety can be a significant problem in hospitals that goes largely unrecognized and unaddressed, said Kevin L. Zacharoff, MD, to attendees of PAINWeek 2013.

Gastroretentive gabapentin (Gralise) is a safe and effective treatment option that significantly reduces pain intensity but also improves patients’ quality of life according to data presented by Matthew Clark, MS and colleagues at PAINWeek 2013.

Attempts to reduce opioid overdose risk by limiting prescriptions to less than 100 mg per day may have limited impact Angela DeVeaugh-Geiss, PhD, and colleagues presented at PAINWeek 2013.

Oral fluid as a matrix for drug testing shows great promise as an alternative to traditional urine drug testing based on evidence presented by Frank Kunkel, MD, and Richard Stripp, PhD, at PAINWeek 2013.

Vijay Arvind, MD, and colleagues presented to PAINWeek 2013 attendees study findings of the effect of an alkaline diet on pain scores and narcotic intake in patients with chronic pain.

Patients with moderate-to-severe chronic low-back pain and osteoarthritis who had significant gains in quality of life, sleep quality, functioning, and work productivity during 12-week core trials of continuous treatment with buprenorphine transdermal delivery system (Butrans) had these benefits maintained long-term, according to a posthoc analysis reported Rupa Shah, PharmD, and colleagues at PAINWeek 2013.

Joint mobilization and manipulation can facilitate muscle function and increase pressure/pain thresholds. Erica L. Sigman, DPT, OCS at PAINWeek 2013 presented a case study underscoring the role of physical therapy in managing pain.

Goals for borderline personality disorder and chronic pain are similar, which is to improve functioning, ability to tolerate discomfort, and coping skills and to emphasize behaviors based on thoughts rather than feelings, said Michael R. Clark, MD, MPH, MBA at PAINWeek 2013.

Project ECHO Chronic Pain Program is co-directed by Joanna G. Katzman, MD, a neurologist, and George D. Comerci, Jr., MD. Dr. Katzman, Director of the UNM Pain Center, spearheaded creation of the program “as a way to leverage scarce pain resources for primary care providers working in rural and underserved areas” where their patients had to wait many months for a specialty pain consultation.