A practicing rheumatologist for 20 years, Umbreen Hasan, MD, FACP, MBA, Coon Rapids, Minn., knows how challenging it can be to work through pain. Over the years, she has helped many patients learn how to manage chronic pain so they can continue to pursue the activities they love. Five years ago, after suffering a severe…
Clinicians can help their patients tap into personal resilience, and such characteristics as grit, gratitude and grace, to manage their chronic pain, says Afton L. Hassett, PsyD.
Our patient was a 33-year-old, 5’2″ Asian woman with a past medical history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The diagnosis was based on serologies positive for anti-nuclear antibodies (ANAs), as well as antibodies to Sm, RNP and SSA. Her illness included neuropsychiatric and cutaneous involvement. She also had a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. She presented…
COVID-19 isn’t the only viral infection on the rise across the globe, so is chikungunya, which can cause arthritis-like symptoms and may lead to long-term joint pain.
A study highlights the potential of fasinumab, an anti-nerve growth factor monoclonal antibody, as a pain treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Research into the risks and benefits of this therapeutic class for OA are ongoing…
A 27-year-old, left-handed man was referred to our ultrasound clinic for left elbow pain. History The patient had been a pitcher on a Minor League Baseball team. Two years before, he developed sudden, severe medial elbow pain while pitching in a game. The pain was associated with some tingling down the left medial forearm. The…
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—The science underlying the neurobiology of chronic pain isn’t something rheumatologists often think about. However, pain is an important reason why patients see a rheumatologist. At the 2020 ACR Winter Symposium in January, Leslie Crofford, MD, gave two presentations addressing pain experienced by rheumatology patients, including a session on the fundamental mechanisms of…
A 65-year-old woman was referred by an orthopedist to a rheumatologist for left knee pain. Previously, in 2014, she underwent left total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for severe osteoarthritis in a different institution. Following the procedure, she experienced severe chronic anterolateral knee pain at rest, exacerbated by walking. Because she was rendered wheelchair bound and required…
ATLANTA—The potential of cannabis‐based medicines is a hot topic, particularly as pain management therapy for arthritis and other conditions. However, confusion abounds regarding its therapeutic potential, how it can be administered and even the correct terminology to use. David P. Finn, PhD, professor of pharmacology and therapeutics, and founding co-director of the Centre for Pain…
A 56-year-old automobile mechanic was referred to our rheumatology service by his orthopedist to evaluate left posterior knee pain and swelling that had been present for three months. The patient had undergone bilateral total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) for sports-related osteoarthritis three years before. In addition to the knee pain, the patient described several years of…