A Service of UA Little Rock
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Have we been misled about pain? How new understandings can help us better manage it

Part 2 of the TED Radio Hour episode Pain Relief
Dr. Amy Baxter says you can’t just shut down pain with a pill. But we’re not helpless either — by understanding how pain works, we can use various other treatments to get some relief.

About Dr. Amy Baxter
Dr. Amy Baxter is a pediatric emergency physician and the founder of Pain Care Labs, a company that researches how to make pain more manageable for patients. She created the device Buzzy, which uses ice and vibration to prevent pain and improve muscle soreness and blood flow. The device has now been used in more than 45 million procedures.

She also created the Baxter Animated Retching Faces Scale, a tool to assess and monitor the presence and severity of nausea. The scale is now regularly used to improve relief for children with cancer. She is a graduate of Yale University and Emory Medical School.

This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Rachel Faulkner White and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHourand email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.

Web Resources

Related TED Bio: Amy Baxter

Related TED Topics: Pain

Related TED Video: 5 things you should know about back pain

NPR Related Links

Opioids are overrated for some common back pain, a study suggests

Got neck and back pain? Break up your work day with these 5 exercises for relief

4 exercises that can prevent (and relieve!) pain from computer slouching and more

Copyright 2024 NPR

Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour. She is a journalist, podcaster and media entrepreneur, and her work reflects her passion for investigating how technology and business are transforming humanity.
Matthew Cloutier is a producer for TED Radio Hour. While at the show, he has focused on stories about science and the natural world, ranging from operating Mars rovers to exploring Antarctica's hidden life. He has also pitched these kinds of episodes, including "Through The Looking Glass" and "Migration."