{"id":16393,"date":"2014-02-21T16:55:29","date_gmt":"2014-02-21T21:55:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/?p=16393"},"modified":"2014-02-21T00:18:50","modified_gmt":"2014-02-21T05:18:50","slug":"managing-chronic-bone-and-joint-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/2014\/02\/managing-chronic-bone-and-joint-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing chronic bone and joint pain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>From the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons media release:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/pain-neuropathy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-15178\" alt=\"pain neuropathy\" src=\"http:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/pain-neuropathy.jpg\" width=\"228\" height=\"290\" \/><\/a>Musculoskeletal pain of the bone, joint and muscles is one of the most common reasons for primary care visits<\/strong> in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>According to a literature review appearing in a recent issue of the <em>Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons<\/em> (<em>JAAOS<\/em>), <strong>chronic pain, or pain that persists beyond an expected period of healing, is estimated to affect 100 million Americans<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The majority of chronic pain complaints concern the musculoskeletal system, but they also include headaches and abdominal pain<\/strong>. &#8220;As orthopaedic surgeons, we are experts in the management of acute injuries to the extremities and spine. As a specialty, however, we are admittedly less adept in the management of chronic musculoskeletal pain,&#8221; says lead study author Richard L. Uhl, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y. &#8220;Given its prevalence, and the profound economic implications of chronic pain on both healthcare costs and lost productivity, we have a duty to be proficient in its diagnosis and care.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>The Bare Facts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Low back pain affects up to 80 percent of Americans<\/strong> at some point in life, and consistently ranks among the top five most common reasons for all healthcare visits in the U.S.<\/li>\n<li>Chronic knee, hip, and shoulder pain from degenerative processes also is common, <strong>as are chronic neuropathic pains from advanced diabetes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Orthopaedic surgeons and primary care physicians encounter patients who suffer from chronic pain almost daily.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>A Surprising Study Finding<\/h3>\n<p>Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) &#8212; easily the most commonly recommended or prescribed medication by orthopaedic surgeons &#8212; <strong>are not especially effective in many chronic pain scenarios<\/strong>. &#8220;While far from the everyday &#8216;arsenal&#8217; of orthopaedic surgeons, antidepressants and anticonvulsants (medications to prevent seizures) can have remarkable effects on many forms of chronic bone and joint pain. There are many readily-accessible, economic, safe and effective treatments for chronic pain,&#8221; says Dr. Uhl.<\/p>\n<h3>Chronic Pain Management Options<\/h3>\n<p>Ways to help manage chronic pain include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Avoiding reasons for acute pain<\/strong> by using safety precautions including appropriate techniques and, above all, common sense when performing every day activities (e.g., driving), fitness routines (e.g., weight-lifting), or work place routines (e.g., operating heavy machinery).<\/li>\n<li>Avoiding behaviors (e.g., tobacco use), <strong>appropriately treating mood disorders (e.g., depression or anxiety)<\/strong>, or controlling diabetes and other health issues may reduce one&#8217;s risk of developing chronic pain.<\/li>\n<li>Evaluating the source of the pain. <strong>Chronic pain from an undiagnosed tumor or infection won&#8217;t improve until the underlying condition is addressed<\/strong>. &#8220;The majority of chronic pain cases are related to slow, degenerative joint processes; nerve impingement, compression, or damage; or simply unknown or unclear sources,&#8221; says Dr. Uhl.<\/li>\n<li>Physicians and patients cooperating as a healthcare team. The authors offer a simplified treatment guide for specific pain scenarios, but recommend that <strong>all physicians tailor treatment for each individual patient<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons media release: Musculoskeletal pain of the bone, joint and muscles is one of the most common reasons for primary care visits in the&#8230; <a class=\"read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/2014\/02\/managing-chronic-bone-and-joint-pain\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[345,10,339,351,60],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16393"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16393"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16395,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16393\/revisions\/16395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}