What’s New on PainScience.com?
New featured articles, updates to articles, recent blog posts, and noteworthy new scientific papers
See also the about page, complete article index, and sitemap.
I have been expanding and upgrading this website since the early 2000s. Relevant new science is added almost daily. I am always working on an endless list of improvements, and corrections and mea culpas are always the highest priority items. For many years I logged major updates, and I started logging all updates in 2016. This page lists everything that’s new or changed lately. ~ Paul Ingraham, Publisher
The 15 newest featured articles on PainScience.com (out of 233)
- Baxter’s Neuritis and Plantar Fasciitis » Mar 4, 19
- Knee Replacement Surgery Doubts » Feb 20, 19
- Deep Cervical Flexor Training » Oct 11, 18
- Cold Laser Therapy » Sep 24, 18
- 💩 Massage Therapists Say » Sep 29, 17
- Dupuytren’s Contracture » Jul 6, 17
- Get in the Pool for Pain » Jan 24, 17
- A Rational Guide to Fibromyalgia » Jan 21, 17
- Cramps, Spasms, Tremors & Twitches » Nov 16, 16
- Science versus Experience in Musculoskeletal Medicine » Nov 9, 16
- Chronic, Subtle, Systemic Inflammation » Sep 8, 16
- The 3 Basic Types of Pain » Aug 29, 16
- Opioids for Chronic Aches & Pains » Jul 16, 16
- When to Worry About Neck Pain … and when not to! » Jul 2, 16
The last 50 updates to featured articles and tutorials (of 1551 total logged updates)
Like good footnotes, update logging sets PainScience.com apart from most other health websites and blogs. It’s fine print, but important fine print, in the same spirit of transparency as the editing history available for Wikipedia pages. I log any change to articles that might be of interest to a keen reader. Complete update logging started in the summer of 2016. Prior to that, I only logged major updates for the most popular and controversial articles.
- Complete Guide to Tension Headaches — New section: “Does MSG cause headaches?” » Apr 25, 19
- Save Yourself from Low Back Pain! — Upgrade, on the erratic quality of chronic low back pain — Modernized the trigger point content and added several paragraphs about sensitization as well. » Apr 25, 19
- Post-Exercise, Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness — New section about vibration. » Apr 24, 19
- Frozen Shoulder Guide — Expanded — Imaging is now discussed in its own small section, and I beefed it up with information about the role of diagnostic ultrasound. » Apr 24, 19
- Sensitization in Chronic Pain — Added the term “amplified pain,” discussed and briefly reviewed the notorious Invisibilia episode about it, and added an explanation that exposure therapy can be conservative or aggressive. » Mar 29, 19
- Trigger Points & Myofascial Pain Syndrome — Edited, differential diagnosis — A thorough editing, especially to the information about frozen shoulder, part of an ongoing effort to upgrade differential diagnosis information in the book. » Mar 25, 19
- Strength Training Frequency — Added article abstract. And I also actually removed some content from the article: legacy stuff I simply felt was no longer necessary to make the point effectively. So it’s a bit shorter and sweeter now. » Mar 24, 19
- Repetitive Strain Injuries Tutorial — Added fascinating reference about the lack of turnover in tendon tissue (Heinemeier). » Mar 24, 19
- Save Yourself from Plantar Fasciitis! — New chapter, Women and plantar fasciitis: the possible role of estrogen — » Mar 24, 19
- Save Yourself from Neck Pain! — Minor upgrade — Added some information about the craving for stretch, its implications, and the problem with trying to stretch the suboccipitals. » Mar 24, 19
- Save Yourself from Low Back Pain! — Science update — Pure reinforcement: cited Artus 2010 and Artus 2014, backing up Machado. » Mar 24, 19
- 25 Surprising Causes of Pain — Added a listed other possibilities that I’m considering for future updates. I think the list itself has value, even without elaboration. » Mar 23, 19
- Knee Replacement Surgery Doubts — New section: “Is pain after surgery a complication or a normal side effect?” » Mar 23, 19
- Trigger Points & Myofascial Pain Syndrome — Edited, trigger point palpation — Thoroughly edited for clarity. Stronger focus on the many ways palpation can go wrong. » Mar 23, 19
- Save Yourself from IT Band Syndrome! — Edited and expanded, resting chapter — Added a new basic concept to the introduction, added discussion and recommendations about total rest, and clarified several other points. » Mar 19, 19
- Complete Guide to Tension Headaches — New section: “‘Primary’ instead of ‘functional’ pain: unexplained headaches avoid the stigma of psychomatic illness (mostly).” » Mar 18, 19
- Frozen Shoulder Guide — Science update — Added information and citations on the condition of the joint in severe cases, and the link to Dupuytren’s contracture. » Mar 18, 19
- Quite a Stretch — Science update — Added five citations showing that stretching can increase flexibility. » Mar 17, 19
- The 3 Basic Types of Pain — Added clearer acknowledgement of the odious term “functional pain,” and adopted a new preferred term for that tricky “other” category of pain: primary pain, as proposed by Schechter. Hat tip to Rachel Z. for inspiring this line of thinking. » Mar 17, 19
- The Unstretchables — Two new sections: “Citation needed?” and “Some other examples of unstretchables, or only partially stretchables.” Also implemented a huge improvement to readability on small screens. Feel more welcome, smartphone readers! » Mar 16, 19
- Save Yourself from Shin Splints! — Big new chapter, about the role of fascia in compartment syndrome — » Mar 16, 19
- Save Yourself from Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome! — New section, minor new sub-topic: Is it possible to exercise to recovery while still in some pain? — » Mar 16, 19
- Save Yourself from Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome! — Edited, worst case scenarios with pushing through the pain — Just cleaned it up, clarified, made it less about runners exclusively. » Mar 16, 19
- A Lump in My Throat — Clarified gargling self-treatment tip and added another: gentle strength training for the neck/throat. » Mar 12, 19
- Massage Does Not Reduce Inflammation — Described another methodological concern, and cited some newer exercise soreness science that casts even more doubt on the idea that massage reduces inflammation. » Mar 10, 19
- Insomnia Until it Hurts — Added citation to Krause, a brain study of sleep deprivation and pain, adding to the mountain of evidence that losing sleep is directly painful. » Mar 5, 19
- Save Yourself from Low Back Pain! — More information, the role of stress — Added content about personality types and the prevalence of concealed stress and anxiety, inspired by Sapolsky. » Mar 5, 19
- Your Back Is Not Out of Alignment — Update/correction — Meniscal fraying is no longer a good example of a clearly structural problem with a clear structural solution, not that we know that so much mensical repair surgery is ineffective. Corrected and clarified » Feb 26, 19
- Trigger Points & Myofascial Pain Syndrome — Revision, adhesions — A substantial editing of this topic for the first time in years, eliminating a fair bit of quaint naivete and credulity from the good ol’ days when I still didn’t know just how deep these waters run. » Feb 22, 19
- Knee Replacement Surgery Doubts — Publication. » Feb 21, 19
- Trigger Points on Trial — Added citation to another rebuttal to Quintner et al: see Critique of Quintner et al. 2015. » Feb 19, 19
- Save Yourself from Neck Pain! — New section, about reassuring explanations for why neck pain is so common — » Feb 19, 19
- Complete Guide to Tension Headaches — Re-organized and chapterized treatment recommendations and reviews, added more of an introduction. Many small additions, and added much more information about stress reduction and breathing exercises. » Feb 16, 19
- Save Yourself from Low Back Pain! — New section, about the pros and cons of getting an MRI — » Feb 16, 19
- Save Yourself from Plantar Fasciitis! — Addition, differential diagnosis section — Added Baxter’s neuritis, the carpal tunnel syndrome of the foot. » Feb 15, 19
- Save Yourself from Plantar Fasciitis! — New section, about Baxter’s neuritis — » Feb 15, 19
- Frozen Shoulder Guide — New section, about cases caused by infection after surgery — » Feb 15, 19
- Trigger Points & Myofascial Pain Syndrome — Science update, risk of hurting nerve — Extended the discussion of vulnerability to include “sensitization.” » Feb 14, 19
- Trigger Points & Myofascial Pain Syndrome — Editing, overdiagnosis of nerve pain — This chapter now plays nicer with related sub-topics, and I’ve emphasized the differential diagnosis context a little more. » Feb 14, 19
- 25 Surprising Causes of Pain — New section: “Spatial summation and why some body areas suffer more, like the neck and back.” » Feb 9, 19
- Save Yourself from Shin Splints! — Science update — Quirky sidebar about the relationship between running softly and quietly. » Jan 25, 19
- Save Yourself from Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome! — New section, review of a popular video about “patellar release” — » Jan 25, 19
- Quite a Stretch — Reorganized — I’ve shuffled and renamed many sections, plus a bunch of editing, to reflect new priorities for the article going forward: a more comprehensive review of all stretching sub-topics, but especially stretching as a component of injury rehab and treatment for chronic pain. Several significant changes are planned for 2019. » Jan 24, 19
- Save Yourself from Neck Pain! — New section, “The usual suspects: tackling the things that make all kinds of pain worse” — » Jan 23, 19
- Your Back Is Not Out of Alignment — New sub-topic — Added some thoughts and a new citation about muscle “imbalances” (over and under-developed muscles on one side or the other). » Jan 21, 19
- Complete Guide to Tension Headaches — Substantial upgrade to review of evidence for over-the-counter medications. » Jan 19, 19
- Save Yourself from Low Back Pain! — Expansion, discussion of specific back pain — Today I added a little depth on a couple key points, and commentary on a really interesting example of specific spinal pain from Dr. Stu “There’s No Such Thing As Non-Specific Back Pain” McGill. » Jan 19, 19
- Frozen Shoulder Guide — Minor science update — Added support from another researcher (Bunker) for abolishing the term “adhesive capsulitis.” » Jan 19, 19
- Frozen Shoulder Guide — Science update — Added information about the prevalence of frozen shoulder in the general population and in diabetics. » Jan 19, 19
- Kinesio Taping Review — Added three citations showing a lack of effect of taping on pain. » Jan 16, 19
The last 20 blog posts
- And another speed boost for PainScience.com » Apr 25, 19
- I take requests » Apr 23, 19
- “Primary” versus “functional” pain » Apr 18, 19
- Faster, better, stronger: redesigning for mobile » Apr 15, 19
- From scratching an itch to picking a scab » Apr 1, 19
- Tough love for amplified pain » Mar 29, 19
- Don’t “push” for a diagnosis » Mar 26, 19
- The trouble with demonizing trivial physical stresses » Mar 25, 19
- Another off-key attack on “pain science” » Mar 23, 19
- What do pimples have in common with frozen shoulders? » Mar 20, 19
- How do you slow down the progression of arthritis? » Mar 19, 19
- Be careful what you wish for! The overzealously holistic physician » Mar 15, 19
- Stark statistical errors in much massage research » Mar 10, 19
- Tetanus rides again » Mar 9, 19
- A devastating critique of modern medicine » Mar 9, 19
- The Holy Shit Moment » Mar 5, 19
- Plantar fasciitis excerpt: Baxter’s neuritis » Mar 4, 19
- Painful word of the day: palliative » Mar 2, 19
- I’ve tried “everything” » Feb 28, 19
- Massage research as marketing » Feb 26, 19
The last 20 bibliography items with beefier summaries
Many scientific papers added to the bibliography are boring and utilitarian. But some are much more interesting, and the pages for those papers are like blog posts about them.
- Benefits and harms of spinal manipulative therapy for the treatment of chronic low back pain: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Rubinstein et al., 2019, BMJ. » added Mar 29, 19
- What does best practice care for musculoskeletal pain look like? Eleven consistent recommendations from high-quality clinical practice guidelines: systematic review. Lin et al., 2019, Br J Sports Med. » added Mar 2, 19
- Role of platelet-rich plasma in articular cartilage injury and disease. Mascarenhas et al., 2015, J Knee Surg. » added Dec 7, 18
- Power posing: brief nonverbal displays affect neuroendocrine levels and risk tolerance. Carney et al., 2010, Psychol Sci. » added Dec 3, 18
- A Bayesian model-averaged meta-analysis of the power pose effect with informed and default priors: the case of felt power. Gronau et al., 2017, Comprehensive Results in Social Psychology. » added Dec 3, 18
- Effect of Intensive Patient Education vs Placebo Patient Education on Outcomes in Patients With Acute Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Traeger et al., 2018, JAMA Neurol. » added Nov 28, 18
- The clinical course of low back pain: a meta-analysis comparing outcomes in randomised clinical trials (RCTs) and observational studies. Artus et al., 2014, BMC Musculoskelet Disord. » added Nov 22, 18
- Comparative Effectiveness of Conservative Interventions for Nonspecific Chronic Spinal Pain: Physical, Behavioral/Psychologically Informed, or Combined? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. O'Keeffe et al., 2016, J Pain. » added Oct 30, 18
- Fascial Manipulation Associated With Standard Care Compared to Only Standard Postsurgical Care for Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Busato et al., 2016, PM R. » added Oct 25, 18
- Mechanical deformation of posterior thoracolumbar fascia after myofascial release in healthy men: A study of dynamic ultrasound imaging. Wong et al., 2017, Musculoskelet Sci Pract. » added Oct 25, 18
- Effectiveness of Acupuncture and Electroacupuncture for Chronic Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Seo et al., 2017, Am J Chin Med. » added Oct 18, 18
- Comparison of spatial summation properties at different body sites. Holbert et al., 2017, Scand J Pain. » added Sep 27, 18
- Brain and psychological determinants of placebo pill response in chronic pain patients. Vachon-Presseau et al., 2018, Nat Commun. » added Sep 24, 18
- Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy. Schoenfeld et al., 2018, Med Sci Sports Exerc. » added Sep 5, 18
- Physical Activity as a Determinant of Successful Aging over Ten Years. Gopinath et al., 2018, Sci Rep. » added Aug 30, 18
- Evidenced-Based Guidelines on the Treatment of Fibromyalgia Patients: Are They Consistent and If Not, Why Not? Have Effective Psychological Treatments Been Overlooked? Thieme et al., 2017, J Pain. » added Aug 16, 18
- When Chronic Pain Is Not "Chronic Pain": Lessons From 3 Decades of Pain. Taylor et al., 2017, J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. » added Jul 8, 18
- Determining the contribution of active stiffness to reduced range of motion in frozen shoulder. Hollmann et al., 2015, Physiotherapy. » added Jun 19, 18
- What triggers an episode of acute low back pain? A case-crossover study. Steffens et al., 2015, Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). » added May 25, 18
- An Evidence-Based Approach for Choosing Post-exercise Recovery Techniques to Reduce Markers of Muscle Damage, Soreness, Fatigue, and Inflammation: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis. Dupuy et al., 2018, Front Physiol. » added May 23, 18
