Chronic Pain Explained - A Special Report from WorkCompCentral.
Jun 01, 2023WorkCompCentral released a special report on "Chronic Pain Explained: How to manage chronic pain in the workers' comp system." It was authored by three seasoned experts, Steven D. Feinberg, MD, Annu H. Navani, MD, and William M. Zachry. Although written by workers' compensation claims professionals, it should be read by all stakeholders in the workers compensation field, including health care providers. To obtain a copy, click here.
The following are their highlights and insights:
• Pain is a personal experience that is difficult to measure directly, which makes
diagnosis problematic because there are no specific objective medical tests
• Appropriate pain management is a moral and social imperative
• Chronic pain is a disease in itself; it usually has both physical and psychological
factors that can be mitigated or prevented
• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE scores) are risk factors for chronic pain
• Disconnect between objective pathology and subjective complaints
• Stakeholders should partner in early recognition and prevention
• Comprehensive interdisciplinary approach is the best method for recovery
• Exercise and return to work result in the best permanent outcomes
• Opioids are rarely an appropriate treatment for chronic pain