May 25, 2016

The Ontario government banned OxyContin a few years ago to curb rampant abuse of it. But now are now seeing people abuse the drug’s “tamper-proof” replacement – Hydromorph Contin –with horri...

May 20, 2016

Physical Activity & Knee OA Pain Prior research has shown that physical activity may be beneficial for patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, whereas other studies have found that physical...

May 19, 2016

The CDC issued new 2016 guidelines this week for prescribing opioid medications for chronic pain for patients 18 and older. Here are the 12 recommendations. Determining When to Initiate or Continue ...

May 09, 2016

According to recent research, the rates of overdose and death relating to non-medical use of prescription drugs, especially painkiller medications, are rising in the United States. “Prescription dru...

May 06, 2016

According to recent data, about 123 million prescriptions are filled each year for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the United States. Data also show that approximately one-third of t...

May 05, 2016

Congratulations to Kathleen M. Schmeler, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital for being the winner of the“Heroes in Medicine” award from Phys...

Apr 26, 2016

Recent data show that that the number of prescriptions being written for opioids to manage pain has quadrupled over the past decade in the United States. In 2012, it was estimated that 259 million pre...

Mar 15, 2016

Considering that the amount of opioid needed to control pain varies from patient to patient, it is often recommended that physicians individualize care by titrating these drugs based on their analgesi...

Mar 15, 2016

Spinal stenosis ranks among the most common reasons for spinal surgery and is expected to affect more than 60 million Americans by 2025. Although significant strides have been made in surgical techniq...

Mar 15, 2016

Opioids are potent narcotics that benefit patients with pain, but legitimate use of these agents has been linked to increased risks of long-term opioid use and possible misuse in adults. Weighing and ...

Mar 15, 2016

The Institute of Medicine estimates that chronic musculoskeletal pain affects about 100 million Americans and costs the country nearly $600 billion each year. Caring for these patients is complex and ...

Mar 08, 2016

According to recent reports, about 2.1 million people in the United States suffer from substance use disorders relating to prescription opioids, and the number of unintentional overdose deaths from pr...

Mar 01, 2016

New research was presented at AAPM 2016, the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s annual meeting, from February 18 to 21 in Palm Springs, California. The features below highlight some of the studies ...

Feb 05, 2016

Throughout the United States, greater attention is being paid to accidental overdoses from the long-term use of opioids. Experts have reported that there is an urgent need to better understand pattern...

Jan 01, 2016

In recent years, clinicians have changed their attitudes regarding the use of opioids in light of the growing public health issue surrounding the potential of these drugs to be misused and abused. Ris...

Dec 15, 2015

Using screening tools for various substance use problems in the ED can be powerful but can also be time consuming and costly and may require additional staff resources. Some studies suggest that compu...

Oct 29, 2015

New research was presented at Anesthesiology 2015, the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ annual meeting, from October 24 to 28 in San Diego. The features below highlight some of the studies eme...

Oct 20, 2015

The rate of reverse shoulder arthroplasties (RSA) is increasing as its indications are expanding, but various reports suggest that these procedures are associated with a high complication rate. “Res...

Oct 01, 2015

For older Americans, persistent pain is highly prevalent and costly to manage. Persistent pain most often is attributable to musculoskeletal causes, usually involves multiple sites, and typically occu...

Oct 01, 2015

Over the past two decades, research has shown that rates of abuse and diversion of opioid prescription medications are increasing in the United States. “In response to the epidemic, many groups have...