Steven A. King, MD, MS

When the cure becomes worse than the cause, it’s MOH. See what you know about these hard-to-treat headaches.

Here are 7 facts that support the use of acupuncture to manage pain (chronic and acute) that may surprise you. 

True or False: most studies on use of medicinal cannabis for chronic pain are in cancer patients. Find out and ponder 9 other T/F questions here.

More effective vs placebo? Less effective than opioids? Equally as potent as APAP? What’s true and what false about NSAIDs?

Do you know myth from fact about recent patterns of US opioid prescribing? Find out with these 10 statements.

What factors surrounding a first prescription for opioids influence length of opioid use by the patient? Two new studies begin to answer the question.

The update includes a nod to tai chi as a nondrug intervention and further supports acupuncture. But even new research falls short in 2 important ways.

The report contains a vast amount of information but overlooks some important issues.

The "black box" warns of known dangers linked to combined use of the products and will appear on labels of more than 400 products.

Take this post-test to find out what you learned in our Chronic Pain special report about the conditions you see most often in primary care.

Up to 10% of the US population experiences neuropathic pain from common conditions seen in primary care. Get current with diagnosis and treatment.

Do you know the myths from the facts about opioid analgesics? Click through these 10 statements and find out.

Low back pain and headache very often are seen first in primary care. Get a quick update on red flags, diagnosis, management, and referral.

Back pain, headache, neuropathy, depression--primary care sees it all. Get current on when and how to treat the most common types of chronic pain.

Antidepressant classes once considered "adjuvant" analgesics now are first-line therapy for various pain conditions. Test yourself!

Methadone is an effective analgesic but is seldom prescribed for pain. What do you know about its properties, pitfalls, and potential?

Soon after a total knee replacement, one of your patients is denied additional opioid analgesics by his surgeon. He comes to you for help.

A new study concludes that financial insecurity produces physical pain. Our pain blogger thinks the business-school authors may have oversimplified.

There is no nice straight line between use of prescription opioids and heroin addiction; in fact, the connections aren't really clear at all.

If a treatment to reduce episodic back pain worked as well as exercise & education did in a recent study, it would be headline news.

A pain management specialist reviews the strengths and points out the weaknesses in the proposed recommendations.

What does evidence say about the effect of opioids prescribed for cancer-related pain on length of survival?

We have learned over time that some widely used therapies actually provide little benefit for most patients. Now several new studies should make us rethink some others.

The math teacher and mother of 2 is also having memory and concentration problems. She denies feeling depressed. Your impression?

This common pain condition frequently raises “red flags.” Answer these questions to address some of the biggest concerns.

Chronic pain from failed back surgery is notoriously difficult to manage. Might medical marijuana hold promise?

The 35-year-old man is a new patient for you. He says he was given Vicodin when he had a similar injury a number of years ago. How do you proceed?

When are antiviral drugs appropriate to treat "shingles" and what is the first-line treatment for post-infection pain?

Opioids, imaging, and constipation-try this trio of questions on issues related to pain management.

Low back pain is one of the most common reasons patients seek primary care; 3 new studies confirm what most of them don’t want to hear: less treatment is better than more.