One medical student was addicted to opioids. Another relied on them to control disabling pain. Both think their experiences will help them be better doctors when it comes to prescribing opioids.
Doctor-patient interactions can make a big difference to the effectiveness of treatments. In a new study, even a fake pain treatment helped when doctors believed it was real.
Never mind a runner's high — the buzz some people say they get after a run. Neuroscientist Benedict Kolber was more interested in how to generate pain relief via a brisk walk. It can really work.
Pain researchers say men and women respond differently to pain, and women may "feel more" pain than men. Understanding the differences in pain perception could lead to better treatments.
A recent study found virtual reality experiences were better at easing pain than watching televised nature scenes. Immersive distraction seems key to the success, scientists say.
An interdisciplinary team in San Francisco uses acupressure, massage, counseling and other methods, as well as medicine, to help kids get relief from chronic pain. But such pediatric centers are rare.
There's still much research to be done before the device is routinely useful. But one man was able to use it to gently grasp his wife's hand and feel her touch — an emotional moment, he says.
When medical bioethicist Travis Rieder tried to taper off pain medication after a roadway accident, he was disappointed by his doctors' reaction: "Everybody had a reason to send me to somebody else."
Changing how the mind reacts to pain can reduce the discomfort experienced, according to scientists who study brain pathways that regulate pain. A new type of therapy aims to enhance that effect.
As marijuana gains popularity among people 65 and older, geriatricians call for more research on how it affects elderly patients. Shifts in metabolism as we age can intensify any drug's side effects.
Are opioids the best way to manage long-term pain? NPR's Ari Shapiro talked with Dr. Ajay Wasan, a pain specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, to find out.
For some people, something as simple as having an IV line inserted can be excruciating. An emergency room doctor noticed a strange pattern. Many of these sensitive patients were regular opioid users.
Collaboration was key for the 10 emergency rooms that cut opioid prescriptions by 36 percent. Doctors say they now use less addictive medicines to manage pain and have shifted patients' expectations.
Opioid prescriptions in one of the busiest emergency rooms in the U.S dropped 58 percent in the first year of an unusual program to help stem the opioid epidemic. More hospitals are copying the model.
Though medical marijuana is legal in most states, some patients still have a hard time affording it. The federal government won't allow states to cover medical marijuana with Medicaid dollars.
Studies show some promising results for new approaches to opioid addiction, but some insurers won't pay for alternative treatments like classes on pain management.
It seemed like such a good idea: Use cold therapy to reduce the need for opioid painkillers after shoulder surgery. But this woman's insurance company said no dice.
U.K. scientists say arthroscopic surgery to remove bone spurs or bits of ragged tissue in sore shoulders offered no more pain relief than than sham surgery in their randomized test.
As a result of the opioid epidemic, doctors are being urged to turn to other medications to treat chronic pain. But that can be a challenge for people who have used opioid painkillers for years.
In 1980, Dr. Hershel Jick wrote a one-paragraph letter about low rates of addiction among hospitalized patients given narcotics. It was later cited as evidence that long-term opioid use was safe.
More than half of Americans suffer lower back pain each year, the latest NPR/Truven Health Analytics survey finds. And they're often not going for treatments recommended as safest and most effective.
The agency expanded its warnings about prescription cough and pain medications that contain the narcotics codeine or tramadol, saying they can cause dangerously slow breathing in some kids.
