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Last week, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, issued an advisory advocating for greater distribution and availability of naloxone as an element of the national response to opioid use disorder. The Surgeon General recommends that individuals at risk for opioid overdose, as well as their family...
| Podcast
This presentation will highlight common procedures used for pain reduction, their evidence base, and a basic description of how each procedure is performed. We will primarily review epidural steroid injections, facet joint blocks and denervation, sacroiliac joint injections and denervation...
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In 2017, the state of Kentucky became the first to classify gabapentin as a Schedule 5 substance, following the finding that the drug was involved in up to 33% of overdose fatalities during the prior year. This means that prescriptions for gabapentin will be reported to the state’s PDMP going...
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Findings from a recent study suggest that moderate alcohol consumption is associated with less pain in patients with chronic pain and fibromyalgia, although fibromyalgia patients reported less benefit. Patients with chronic pain who were moderate drinkers also reported less anxiety, depression, and...
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Because they are likely to be at the scene of an overdose when it occurs, fellow drug users may be the most suitable targets for naloxone training, according to conclusions from a new study conducted at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In interviews with 450 drug users in the...
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A new study conducted by researchers from the University at Buffalo School of Nursing is one of the first to focus specifically on the risk factors for opioid misuse in older adults. This population is particularly sensitive to adverse effects from opioids, according to the researchers. Study author...
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Although one of the goals of clinical guideline development is to aid the provider with information to help make important treatment decisions, what’s not completely divulged is that clinical treatment guidelines can’t make a good treatment decision per se for an individual patient. Guidelines that...
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Findings from new research conducted at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center conclude that long-term opioid therapy is associated with an increased risk of complications following spinal surgery. Lead author Safdar Kahn, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon at Wexner Medical Center’s...
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The efficacy of amitriptyline (Elavil® and others) has been established for a variety of pain conditions, but has been understudied for the management of chronic neck pain (CNP), the optimal treatment approach for which has remained controversial. A new study supported by the Council of Research of...
| Podcast
Erythromelagia is a rare and potentially devastating syndrome associated with severe heat and burning pain, and redness involving the skin of the hands or feet or both. The study of this disorder has led to the discovery of new insights into pain pathophysiology as well as new treatments. This...