Empowering the Pedorthist by Enhancing their Role in the Opioid Crisis
OPIOIDS AND CHRONIC PAIN
Many Americans suffer from chronic
pain, a major public health concern
in the United States. Patients with
chronic pain deserve safe and effec-
tive pain management. At the same
time, our country is in the midst of
a prescription opioid overdose epi-
demic.
• The amount of opioids prescribed
and sold in the US quadrupled since
1999, but the overall amount of pain
reported hasn’t changed.
• There is insufficient evidence that
prescription opioids control chronic
pain effectively over the long term,
and there is evidence that other
treatments can be effective with less
harm.
UNDERSTANDING PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS
Opioids are natural or synthetic
chemicals that relieve pain by bind-
ing to receptors in your brain or
body to reduce the intensity of pain
signals reaching the brain.
Opioid pain medications are some-
times prescribed by doctors to treat
pain. Common types include:
• Hydrocodone (e.g., Vicodin)
• Oxycodone (e.g., OxyContin)
• Oxymorphone (e.g., Opana), and
• Morphine
Current Pedorthics | July/August 2019
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