December 2, 2021
5 minutes of reading
Source / Disclosures
Source: Interview with Healio
Disclosures: Jonas works for the Samueli Foundation.
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A recent online survey of 2,063 U.S. participants showed that younger adults were more likely to suffer from chronic pain than older adults.
Specifically, the survey, conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of the Samueli Foundation, found that 65% of respondents aged 18 to 34 and 52% of respondents aged 35 and over experienced chronic pain.
Reference: Press Release “Adults under the age of 35 who experience chronic pain are more likely to use cannabis or CBD to manage it.”
Other survey results showed barriers to the treatment of chronic pain, with 75% of adults aged 18 to 34 reporting that they did not “know what type of healthcare provider can best help them manage their pain.” his pain “.
In addition, the survey showed that:
- 32% of adults aged 18 to 34 reported back pain, making it the most common area where pain was reported, followed by 20% who reported neck or knee pain. ;
- 29% of people aged 44 and under talk to their doctors more often about their pain since the pandemic began, compared with 15% of those aged 45 and over; i
- 22% of people aged 44 and under use cannabis or CBD oil to treat pain, compared to 11% of those aged 45 and over.
“It is clear that young people are trying to cope with their chronic pain alone, but they also want and need the help of their providers to determine the most effective treatments for their pain.” Wayne Jonas, MD, The executive director of integrative health programs at the Samueli Foundation and a former director of the NIH’s Office of Alternative Medicine said in a press release. “Primary care providers, who manage most patients with pain, should orient their patients, especially young adults, towards effective and proven strategies for managing their daily pain.”
According to the results of the additional survey of participants who said they experience chronic pain:
- 78% said they used non-pharmacological therapies, while 70% said they used pharmacological therapies to reduce their chronic pain;
- 80% of those who used non-drug therapy said they would be interested in trying a healthier diet plan to relieve their pain, while 71% were interested in trying exercise, 68% were interested in therapy. of massage, 62% were interested in physical therapy. and 61% were interested in stress reduction or mindfulness-based meditation; i
- 53% said they used over-the-counter treatment to reduce their chronic pain, followed by 43% who said they exercised, 34% said they used heat and / or ice, and 26% said they used exercise. who ate healthier, 16% who used cannabis or CBD, 15% who used physical therapy or massage, and 14% who did yoga.
“This should be a wake-up call for doctors as their patients seek more information from them about managing their chronic pain, especially for non-pharmacological approaches,” Jonas said in the press release. “It’s up to providers across the healthcare system to have regular conversations with patients to find out the best ways to manage their pain on a daily basis.”
In an interview with Healio Primary Care, Jonas discussed the results of the survey, current evidence on the use of CBD and cannabis for chronic pain, when to refer a patient to a specialist and more.
Healio Primary Care: Why do you think younger people reported chronic pain more often than older people?
Jonas: This finding was a bit surprising, because we usually think that older people have more arthritis and chronic health problems.
Chronic pain is a continuous pain that is felt for 12 weeks or more due to trauma, tension, tension and irritation produced by the body, as well as, in some situations, the persistent effect of an incident that caused acute pain. Psychosocial stress occurs more in young people with the pandemic, as they have been more prone to stress such as losing their jobs, being more often at home with children and trying to make ends meet with reduced incomes if they cannot work virtually. from home.
Healio Primary Care: Why do you think that, as the survey suggests, patients talk to their doctors more often about chronic pain??
Jonas: One reason might be that those who have an injury that would normally recover may now be trying to recover from stress, insomnia, or a poor diet or being overweight.
Another reason is that chronic stress can cause mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. There is evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing an epidemic of mental health problems. However, because of the stigma associated with poor mental health, people don’t necessarily want to come to their doctor’s office and say, “Oh, I have a mental health problem” or “I’m depressed or anxious.” but they will come and say, ‘My back hurts.’
Healio Primary Care: What does current evidence suggest about the benefits and harms of using cannabis and / or CBD oil to treat chronic pain?
Jonas: Right now, the best evidence indicates that cannabis and CBD oil may be more helpful for the neuropathic pain that sometimes accompanies diabetes and chemotherapy treatments.
However, most chronic pain among young people is of musculoskeletal origin and there is no adequate evidence of the use of CBD and cannabis for this purpose. Therefore, people who use CBD for this purpose may be using it inappropriately.
Healio Primary Care: What Should Doctors Tell Patients Using Cannabis or CBD Oil About Cannabis Use Disorder?
Jonas: Every time a patient uses something like this repeatedly, they run the risk of developing side effects such as addiction. Using these products for chronic pain is like trying to put a band-aid on something that requires more in-depth research and management. But it does indicate that doctors should view cannabis as an attempt at self-treatment; these patients are trying to take control of the pain in their own hands. We should recognize this and look for ways to help them manage their pain properly.
Healio Primary Care: What complementary and alternative medicine options can PCPs recommend for patients with chronic pain?
Jonas: There are several approaches to non-pharmacological or complementary and integrative medicine for chronic pain, and we have fairly good research to show that they are safe and effective.
The American College of Physicians has shown that therapeutic yoga can be very effective for back pain, as can massage and mental body techniques. These would be the treatment options I would recommend to doctors to guide their patients and help provide them.
Healio Primary Care: What is a PCP‘The role of chronic pain management? When should patients be referred to a pain specialist?
PCPs are the most likely provider of helping patients manage their chronic pain. But the pain that accompanies the loss of bowel or bladder function requires immediate attention from a specialist; therefore, patients suffering from this should be referred promptly for a specialized assessment. The other red flag for referral to a specialist is pain that lasts more than 3 months and has not benefited from non-steroidal or non-pharmacological approaches, even if it does not cause loss of bowel function or bladder. .
Healio Primary Care – There’s more to this topic than you might like add?
Jonas: Very few doctors have been trained to use non-pharmacological, complementary, and integrative approaches to chronic pain, and some may not know how to access this training or are not reimbursed.
The Samueli Foundation has partnered with Tufts University to produce a free alternative and complementary medicine course where users can get credit for 4 hours of CME in these approaches. It can be found at www.integrativepaincme.com.
Reference
Adults under the age of 35 who suffer from chronic pain are more likely to use cannabis or CBD to control it. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932742. Published October 27, 2021. Accessed November 19, 2021.
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