Tag: opioid

Nerve stimulation reduces pain and opioid use after orthopedic surgery

A technique called percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation yields “impressive” reductions in pain scores and opioid use during the first week after common orthopedic surgery procedures, concludes a randomized clinical trial published Online First in Anesthesiology, the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), today. The benefits of postoperative nerve stimulation were “much

‘Pain is always a perception’: Physical therapy can help prevent, treat opioid use disorder

When you think of ways to treat opioid use disorder, you might think methadone clinics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings. You probably don’t imagine stretches and strengthening exercises. But Anne Swisher—professor at the West Virginia University School of Medicine—is working to address opioid misuse in an unconventional way: through physical therapy. She and her colleagues have

Family ties protect against opioid misuse among U.S. young adults

As opioid use disorders and overdoses continue to skyrocket in the United States, a study by researchers from Syracuse University and Pennsylvania State University shows that unmarried young adults who do not have children are mostly likely to misuse opioids. The growing number of these “disconnected” young adults may also result in continued rises in

As doctors taper or end opioid prescriptions, many patients driven to despair, suicide

Treating America’s Pain: Unintended Victims of the Opioid Crackdown, Part 1 – The Suicides The national opioid crisis propelled a crackdown on prescription painkillers, causing hundreds of doctors to abruptly reduce or completely cut off their patients’ prescriptions, leaving many among the estimated 20 million Americans who suffer from daily debilitating chronic pain to consider

Survey: Medical marijuana could reduce opioid use in older adults

A questionnaire of older men and women suffering from chronic pain who were given medical marijuana found that the drug significantly reduced pain and their need for opioid painkillers, Northwell Health researchers report. The results of the study, “Older Adults’ Use of Medical Marijuana for Chronic Pain: A Multisite Community-Based Survey,” are scheduled to be