Adults in a residential addiction treatment center had high rates of prescription opioid use for reasons other than pain relief, according to a recent article in Clinical Psychiatry News referencing a study published in Continue reading
Category Archives: Chronic Pain
If you see it, can you really believe it?
We clinicians do our best to practice evidence-based medicine. We seek objective evidence to diagnose disease and monitor treatment. Symptoms and complaints are subjective. They may suggest a disease is present or Continue reading
Worsening low back pain treatment
Yes, the title on this post is correct. I’m here today to talk about the worsening treatment of low back pain, not worsening pain. A number of organizations have published evidence-based guidelines on appropriate management of low back pain, including Continue reading
The Zoster Vaccine? It’s a Cinch!
There are approximately one million cases of herpes zoster (HZ) every year in the US. HZ is the re-emergence of latent childhood varicella-zoster in the form of a painful outbreak of vesicles that track along a peripheral dermatome. Shingles, the term Continue reading
CURING our prescription drug abuse ills
The California State Senate Business and Professions Committee recently passed out of committee SB 809, a measure which will levy a 1.2% license fee for pharmacists, NPs, physicians, and podiatrists to increase funding for the Continue reading
A look at medications for diabetic neuropathy
“You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” – The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint Exupery.
In the treatment of peripheral neuropathy, Partnership HealthPlan of California’s formulary has step requirements. It begins with Continue reading
Vertebral compression fractures: treat conservatively
Clinical Question
Is vertebroplasty better than usual care in decreasing pain in patients with vertebral compression fractures? Continue reading
Massage improves function in patients with chronic low back pain
A randomized controlled trial published in the Annals of Internal Medicine comparing two techniques of massage therapy showed a significant short- and long-term improvement using either technique, compared to usual care. Continue reading