Chronic Pain

The key elements that guide the diagnosis of chronic idiopathic musculoskeletal pain do not primarily come from physical exam, but from the patient’s history of pain and the physician’s opinion, according to findings published in Pediatric Rheumatology.

A recent study suggests that less than a quarter of patients on chronic opioid therapy for noncancer pain are tapered off opioids, and another study found that only 35% of patients are able to successfully do so.

ATLANTA — The incidence of opioid-related hospitalizations among patients with musculoskeletal conditions increased markedly over the past 2 decades, with continued growth among patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, according to a presentation at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting.

SAN DIEGO — Although chronic pain impacts more than 100 million patients in the United States, contributing significantly to national medical costs, clinicians continue to struggle with whether pain represents a symptom or the disease itself, according to a presenter at the 2019 Congress of Clinical Rheumatology West.

SAN DIEGO — Thomas Kosten, MD, Waggoner Chair and Professor of Psychiatry, Pharmacology, Immunology, and Neuroscience, and director of the division of addictions at Baylor College of Medicine, spoke about the potential of nonopioid alternatives for chronic pain in a video interview.

While prescription opioid use was associated with increased mortality and hospitalization risks for all patients regardless of kidney function, researchers found the risk for death was highest among those with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease.

Abbott announced it has received FDA approval for its recharge-free neurostimulation system, Proclaim XR, for patients with chronic pain.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents in a nationwide survey showed interest in using marijuana or cannabinoids for pain management, with many reporting that they believed those options were safer than opioids and had fewer side effects than other pain medications.

Although cannabidiol — better known as CBD — may help patients with arthritis alleviate their pain, insomnia and anxiety, there have been no rigorous clinical studies to confirm these effects, and the product should never be used to replace DMARDs that prevent permanent joint damage, according to guidance from the Arthritis Foundation.

CHICAGO — Preoperative opioid exposure was linked with significant perioperative consequences and postoperative complications in patients who underwent foot and ankle surgery, according to a presenter at the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society Annual Meeting.