For over 30 years now, doctors have used spinal cord stimulation (SCS), also called neurostimulation, to help relieve chronic pain. A stimulator is implanted into the patient's body, which then sends out impulses to interrupt the pain signals and prevent them from reaching the brain. It's important to understand that the treatment doesn't eliminate pain, but it prevents the person from feeling it as much, thus masking it.

As researchers learn more about whiplash and whiplash-associated disorders, they have learned about a group of patients who, after sustaining whiplash, end up with chronic whiplash-associated disorders, including hypersensitivity (being too sensitive) and hypoesthesia (a dulled sensitivity to touch).

Pain is one of the most common reasons why someone goes to the doctor. This is for both acute (sudden) and chronic (long-term) pain. If non-medical treatment doesn't work, such as rest, ice, exercise, for example, the next step is usually to use medications. Analgesics, medications to relieve pain, are among the most widely prescribed medications because of the high number of people who live with pain.

It's long been thought that depression and chronic pain were tightly connected. Both depression and chronic pain are common disorders in the Western world and both play a big role in the lives of patients, health care, and economics for employers. Many studies have found a connection between the two, leading researchers to believe that one influences the other in many patients.

When some people experience pain, particularly chronic pain, they can catastrophize the pain, believing that everything can and will get worse than it is. Many researchers have looked into this behavior in an attempt to discover just how it affects pain and healing. Research is also being done into how others see, or perceive, the pain being experienced by someone else. Understanding the perception of pain would result in better patient assessments.

When it comes to fusion of the cervical spine (neck), there are now many ways to surgically fuse one or more segments. Surgeons are interested in knowing which method provides stability without significant changes in biomechanics.

In this study, researchers at one children's hospital look back over the years at the incidence of musculoskeletal infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, pronounced mersa).

There are many potential causes of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Most people are familiar with CTS from repetitive motions, especially from activity in the work place. But CTS can also occur as a result of a wrist fracture. Specifically, fracture of the distal radius is the focus of this study.

Trigger finger is a catching or popping of the tendons as they move the fingers. Usually this problem occurs as the finger is moved toward the palm of the hand. This movement is called flexion. But in this article, five cases of extensor tendon triggering are reported.

In the case of cubital tunnel syndrome, one treatment does not fit all. So say surgeons from the Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh after reviewing recent studies on the topic. They found that there are a number of different surgical approaches that all have good results.

What's the benefit of steroid injections for carpal tunnel syndrome? Is a single injection enough? If one works, would the patient benefit by another one? Does the injection improve the function of the nerve? These are the questions Dr. M. I. Boyer of the Washington University in St. Louis researched and reported on in this study.

A major concern after any type of major surgery, particularly orthopedic (bone) surgery, is development of blood clots. Called venous thromboembolisms, they can cause severe health problems and even death. These clots can result in deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism. A deep vein thrombosis is a clot that forms in a vein deep in the body, well below the skin surface.

Along with back pain, neck pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders in humans. It's estimated that in one year, between almost 6 percent and 22 percent of people experience some sort of neck pain. While there are many specific causes of neck pain (injury, tumor, arthritis, for example), there are also many times that there is no obvious reason for the pain. This is called non-specific neck pain.

Fibromyalgia, a disease that is still not completely understood, is the subject of much research. Besides the fatigue associated with fibromyalgia, many people with fibromyalgia experience chronic pain that is difficult to treat. Other hallmark complaints are difficulty sleeping and depression. Now, along with these problems, researchers believe that many people with fibromyalgia also experience significant changes in their mental function.

An arthroscopy is a procedure that allows a doctor to see inside a joint without major surgery. Using a small incision, the surgeon inserts a long, thin instrument with a camera on the end. Arthroscopies were often used for larger joints, like knees, but the ankle was often considered to be too small and complicated a joint for this procedure. This idea was changed in 1972 when researcher Watanabe and colleagues published the results of 28 ankle arthroscopies.