Pain Management

Opioids or opiate-like analgesics? Weight loss, exercise, or orthotics? Sleep interventions or cognitive therapy? What works for OA pain and what's the evidence?

Acute low back pain remains one of the most common reasons for a healthcare visit. Try these 10 questions on a new analysis of risk factors and diagnosis.

Pain specialist Steven King, MD, highlights a new review that looks at the complex, bidirectional relationship between sleep disturbance and chronic pain.

To redefine the word "pain," the IASP invited ethicists and philosophers to assist in the process. A one-time IASP taxonomy task force member highlights the process.

SAMPLE: Based on current research, what is the prevalence of fibromyalgia in the general population? Plus 11 more questions on fibromyalgia and chronic pain.

The new joint guideline recommends topical NSAIDs as first-line therapy for treating acute pain from non-low back musculoskeletal injuries in adults.

All makers of opioid and opioid use disorder medications must revise labels to recommend discussion and coprescribing of naloxone.

Results of a new study show yoga and physical therapy can be beneficial treatment options for adults with chronic low back pain.

Galt Pharmaceuticals announced FDA approval of Orphengesic Forte (orphenadrine citrate, aspirin, caffeine), to treat acute mild to moderate pain.

The AHRQ evaluates nonopioid medications including NSAIDs, gabapentinoids, antidepressants, and cannabinoids for efficacy in treatment of chronic noncancer pain.

The FDA recently approved an implantable neurostimulation system for the treatment of chronic low back pain.

Incident cardiovascular disease is significantly increased among women with migraine with aura vs migraineurs without aura and those who do not have migraine.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found patients who were prescribed higher dosages were more likely to refill their opioid prescriptions.

A recent review examined how well family practice and emergency department physicians follow recommended guidelines on managing low back pain. See what they found with these 10 questions.

Gabapentin and pregabalin are often used as alternatives to opioid analgesics to treat chronic pain. How is that working? Find out what you know.

Sample: Approximately what percentage of physician office visits at which benzodiazepines were coprescribed with opioids were with a primary care provider?

Of the 41% of kratom users who reported taking it for opioid withdrawal, 35% went >1 year without taking opioids or heroin.

Sample: True or false? In addition to reducing pain, acupuncture has been shown to reduce the use of opioids among patients with cancer-related pain.

From measles resurgence to new CVD guidelines, refresh your memory of this year’s highlights with our quiz on the most-read content on Patient Care®.

Q&A: What do you know about migraine Rx and Tx in the emergency department?

A novel report on US opioid misuse melds results from a Harris Poll of 500 primary care physicians with Quest Diagnostics data on 4.4 million drug monitoring tests.

Opioid prescribing after outpatient surgery looks very different in the US, Canada, and Sweden. Which drugs are favored? How much is prescribed? Test your intuition.

Opioid prescribing is more likely toward the end of the clinic day and as appointments run farther behind. A pain specialist reviews study findings.

Which patients are more likely to be prescribed chronic opioids by their primary care physician? Should we be concerned? A new study offers insight.

A personal EKG monitor, an app that wirelessly connects to a smart thermometer, and 3 more FDA-cleared apps for primary care. 

Test your assumptions about opioid prescriptions and documentation practice with this 5-question quiz. 

Find out how much you know about which patients are at a higher risk for opioid misuse vs those that can benefit from them with this 10-question quiz. 

When acute pain seen in primary care is treated with an initial opioid Rx, what factors are related to request for refill within 30 days?

Fremanezumab shown to be effective in treating acute and episodic migraine, according to a new presentation at PAINWeek 2018. 

News from PAINWeek 2018: "Tapering [opioids] is not detoxification," was one among many cautions and recommendations offered during several presentations in Las Vegas, Sept 4-8.