Managing Chronic Pain: Alternative to Opioids
Managing Chronic Pain
Alternative to Opioids
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Many people rely on pain medication to manage chronic pain, but it can cause drowsiness, hallucinations or lead to addiction
- “Evidence of long-term efficacy of opioids for chronic pain is limited. Opioid use is associated with serious risks, including opioid use disorder and overdose… Of primary importance, non opioid therapy is preferred for treatment of chronic pain.” -JAMA5
AN INTERVENTIONAL PAIN SPECIALIST CAN HELP WHEN:
A significant amount of medication may be required to relieve pain
A procedure may be needed to treat pain
Chronic pain lasts longer than 3 months with little to no improvement
OUR INTERVENTIONAL PAIN MANAGEMENT PHYSICIAN MAY SPECIALIZE IN THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES:
Trigger Point Injections
Nerve Blocks
Steroid Injections
Radio Frequency Ablations
Spinal Cord Stimulators: Neuropathy & Failed Back
SI Joint Stabilization
Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) Therapy
Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS)
Intervertebral Spacers (Vertiflex): Spinal Stenosis
Joint injections
Disc Degeneration
1 in 3
Americans suffer from chronic pain
More than just a physical toll, chronic pain can have a devastating impact with:
Strained personal relationships
Loss of productivity or inability to work
Increased financial burden
Feeling depressed or withdrawing from others
How to identify a patient who needs pain management:
Need for pain medication frequently
Constantly seeking medical attention at their primary care doctor or hospital
Waiting for or in need of an orthopaedic or neurosurgery consult
Not ready for surgery but needing treatment to return to daily living
Nearly 2 million people either abused or were dependent on prescription opioids in 2014
- Four times the amount of opioids prescribed and sold in the US since 1999, but the overall amount of pain reported hasn’t changed.
Let us help you take control of your pain!
SOURCES
- Institute of Medicine (http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13172&page=1)
- The impact of chronic pain in the community (http://fampra.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/3/292.full)
- http://www.cdc.gov/drug.overdose/pdf/infographic-cdc_guideline_for_prescribing_opiods _for_chronic_pain-a.pdf
- National Survey on Drug Use and Health http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k10NSDUH/2k10Results.htm#Ch7
- http://jama.jamanetwork.com/mobile/article.aspx?articleid=2503508