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In those over 65, spinal cord dysfunction is common, and over 100,000 corrective surgeries are performed yearly. The leading cause of this dysfunction is cervical spondylotic myelopathy: neck vertebrae compress, causing pain, numbness/tingling, bladder issues, and a loss of balance/coordination...
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Radiation therapy vs an injection. A patient with bone cancer may need about 10 sessions of radiation therapy, but a new radioactive bone cement is proving to be easier on the patient, and safer. Brachytherapy is a local treatment during which a radiation source is placed in or near the tumor. With...
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According to the World Health Organization, phantom limb pain is experienced by 50% to 80% of the more than 40 million amputees in the world, the largest group being military veterans. Thanks to a grant of over a million dollars, the Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative at UC San Diego will...
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Chronic low back pain has a high prevalence across the globe, affecting millions. In a first of its kind study, researchers looked at patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and assessed blood serum biomarkers. Results published in European Spine Journal highlight modic changes (pathological...
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As reported in the journal Neuron, researchers studied the reflexes that help us avoid pain, such as pulling our hand away from a hot stove. These protective reflexes, seen even in newborns, are the result of cutaneous somatosensory modalities and sensorimotor behaviors. When the sensorimotor system...
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Astrocytes, a star-shaped glial cell of the central nervous system, carry general sensory information to the brain, information such as pressure, pain, and heat. Researchers in Japan have discovered a unique population of spinal cord astrocytes, found in gray matter outer layers near the back of the...
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What will a patient’s pain be like after lumbar spine surgery? What about two years after lumbar spine surgery? “Unrealistically high or low expectations are problematic, predisposing patients to poor outcomes if they become discouraged with recovery, abandon rehabilitation or ignore recommended...
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In a study of 15 patients with Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord stimulation reduced both its pain and motor and nonmotor symptoms. The journal Bioelectronic Medicine reports a mean reduction in pain intensity of 59% for all patients—mean age 74; average disease duration of 17 years—whether or not...
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A whopping 36% to 64% of spinal surgery patients have poorly controlled pain. Why? In order to avoid the escalation to patient dissatisfaction and negative outcomes, the study calls for a way to “to develop and internally validate a prediction score for poorly controlled postoperative pain in...
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Newswise — A study from Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) finds that topical steroids administered during anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery help reduce swallowing difficulties following the procedure. This study is available online as part of the AAOS 2020 Virtual Education...