According to a 2018 Cochrane systematic review, about a third of community-dwelling adults ages 65 and over will fall at least once annually (Hopewell et al., 2018). While most of the injuries are minor, more severe falls that result in fractures can significantly impact a person’s health, ability to live independently and enjoy good quality
Read MoreContrary to stories in the media about injured workers attempting to “work” the disability system for secondary gain, evidence suggests that most workers prefer to return to employment if they are able to do so. According to Robinson and Loeser (2012), the majority of work injuries (about 70%) do not result in disability claims. In
Read MoreCannabidiol, also known as CBD, is an active chemical found in cannabis. Unlike THC, CBD does not have psychoactive properties. While both THC and CBD derive from marijuana, CBD can also be sourced from hemp plants. There is a great deal of interest in CBD for chronic pain as well as other medical conditions including
Read MoreNutraceuticals, which include dietary supplements, functional foods and fortified foods, have been part of medical traditions in China, India, and Native American cultures for centuries. They are frequently used to treat various types of infection, inflammation and pain. There is abundant anecdotal evidence for their efficacy along with some clinical trials. Given that prescription pain
Read MoreChronic pain’s greatest burden is its chronicity: the day-in and day-out physical and emotional challenges that accompany constant discomfort, difficulties in the workplace, strained family relations and in some cases, financial problems. Respite from this vicious circle makes a tremendous difference in quality of life. Art therapy can provide this by distracting attention away from
Read MoreLiving with chronic pain creates daily challenges both inside and outside of the home. Universal design, defined as the design of products, environments, programs and services to be usable by all people (Ostroff, 2010), is a set of principles for creating equal access to both able bodied persons and those living with disabilities. It is
Read MoreIf your mother, father, sister or brother suffers from chronic back pain and you do as well, this may not be a coincidence. Researchers are discovering that certain genetic variants may predispose individuals to developing chronic back pain due to changes in bone and cartilage structure, pain processing and pain signaling in the brain (Tegeder
Read MoreFor years scientists have considered inflammation as a primary mechanism for pain. This is certainly true for acute pain, but new research suggests that it is not the case for chronic pain lasting beyond the injury healing period, typically three months. This explains why analgesics such as NSAIDs (ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen) that work well
Read MoreResilience is described as the ability to recover and grow in the face of stressors and changing demands (Deuster & Silverman, 2013). A lot of research about resilience has come from the US military, triggered a decade back by troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with severe emotional trauma. There is a saying that there
Read MoreAccording to current research, up to 85% of persons living with chronic pain also suffer from depression (Sheng, Lui et al., 2017). This is not a coincidence. Both are forms of stress on the body: a phenomenon regulated by a structure in the brain called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA axis controls endocrine factors
Read More