Why Do Physicians Choose Pain as a Specialty?

Objective: Numerous forces shape the practice of pain management: scientific advances, technical advances, societal expectations, public health crises, reimbursement factors, and the parameters of who gets trained and what motivates the trainees. In this observational study, we sought to determine expressed motivations for entering the subspecialty of pain management, and in particular whether applicants were more interested in procedural skills (our hypothesis) or rehabilitative and cognitive practices.

Methods: We analyzed the personal statements of 142 applicants to the University of Minnesota's pain medicine fellowship program.

Computerized mobilization of the cervical spine for the treatment of chronic neck pain.

Background: Manual therapies for chronic neck pain (NP) are imprecise, inconsistent, and brief because of therapist fatigue.

Objective: Investigate the safety and efficacy of computerized mobilization of the cervical spine in the sagittal plane for the treatment of chronic NP.

Design: Pilot open trial.

Dexmedetomidine infusion for the management of opioid-induced hyperalgesia.

Objective: Understanding the actions of opioids now encompasses pronociceptive as well as antinociceptive mechanisms. Opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH) refers to increased pain sensitivity due to high-dose or prolonged opioid exposure. It has become more important as patients with pain remain on opioids at higher doses for longer periods of time.

A primer on acupuncture.

Although widely practiced in China for 2,000 years, acupuncture was introduced in the United States 40 years ago, and it has only gained acceptance by the medical establishment here in recent years. Now, a growing body of evidence supports its efficacy for a number of conditions, and it is being routinely recommended for them. This article provides an overview of acupuncture and reviews some of the evidence showing its effectiveness for treating various conditions.