Edited by internationally recognized pain experts, this book offers 73 clinically relevant cases, accompanied by discussion in a question-and-answer format.

Edited by internationally recognized pain experts, this unique book describes 73 real life clinical cases, each followed by discussion of pathogenesis, work-up, differential diagnosis and treatment options. Cases are divided into seven sub-topics: neurologic disorders, spinal disorders, musculoskeletal pain, visceral pain, headache and facial pain, cancer pain, and special topics such as pain in children and older adults. Discussions follow a question-and-answer format, facilitating learning and also enabling self-testing. Chapters are written by the foremost national and international leaders in the field of pain management, many of whom are pain program directors. Case Studies in Pain Management is an excellent learning source for trainees in pain management and a must-read for pain practitioners.

Drug overdose, driven largely by overdose related to the use of opioids, is now the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. The ongoing opioid crisis lies at the intersection of two public health challenges: reducing the burden of suffering from pain and containing the rising toll of the harms that can arise from the use of opioid medications. Chronic pain and opioid use disorder both represent complex human conditions affecting millions of Americans and causing untold disability and loss of function. In the context of the growing opioid problem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an Opioids Action Plan in early 2016. As part of this plan, the FDA asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a committee to update the state of the science on pain research, care, and education and to identify actions the FDA and others can take to respond to the opioid epidemic, with a particular focus on informing FDA's development of a formal method for incorporating individual and societal considerations into its risk-benefit framework for opioid approval and monitoring.

Some people suffer from chronic, debilitating disorders for which no conventional treatment brings relief. Can marijuana ease their symptoms? Would it be breaking the law to turn to marijuana as a medication? There are few sources of objective, scientifically sound advice for people in this situation. Most books about marijuana and medicine attempt to promote the views of advocates or opponents. To fill the gap between these extremes, authors Alison Mack and Janet Joy have extracted critical findings from a recent Institute of Medicine study on this important issue, interpreting them for a general audience. Marijuana As Medicine? provides patientsâ€"as well as the people who care for themâ€"with a foundation for making decisions about their own health care. This empowering volume examines several key points, including: Whether marijuana can relieve a variety of symptoms, including pain, muscle spasticity, nausea, and appetite loss. The dangers of smoking marijuana, as well as the effects of its active chemical components on the immune system and on psychological health. The potential use of marijuana-based medications on symptoms of AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and several other specific disorders, in comparison with existing treatments. Marijuana As Medicine? introduces readers to the active compounds in marijuana. These include the principal ingredient in Marinol, a legal medication. The authors also discuss the prospects for developing other drugs derived from marijuana's active ingredients. In addition to providing an up-to-date review of the science behind the medical marijuana debate, Mack and Joy also answer common questions about the legal status of marijuana, explaining the conflict between state and federal law regarding its medical use. Intended primarily as an aid to patients and caregivers, this book objectively presents critical information so that it can be used to make responsible health care decisions. Marijuana As Medicine? will also be a valuable resource for policymakers, health care providers, patient counselors, medical faculty and studentsâ€"in short, anyone who wants to learn more about this important issue.

Neuropathic pain is one of the most common, most debilitating, most costly, and most difficult to treat categories of chronic pain conditions that are characterized by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system. Managing neuropathic pain is challenging and requires skillful assessment and comprehensive and integrated treatment strategies that are mechanism-guided, evidence-based, and individualized. However, these critical and integral elements are very fragmented in the current literature. The mechanistic understanding of neuropathic pain is typically found in basic research articles. Clinical research evidence is presented in forms of clinical trials with emphasis on minimizing biases such as those from patient selection and assessment. Individualized considerations for each patient are usually presented in case reports and problem-based learning discussions. This book overcomes these barriers and integrates all the critical elements around individual patient care into a coherent management strategy that is practical and applicable to daily clinical practice. Rather than compiling what have been published in the literature, this work emphasizes on identifying and highlighting the key points or findings that guide decision-making in clinical practice. It integrates the key points around a typical case scenario that not only represents the core of the diagnostic and therapeutic processes but also allows introduction and differentiation of painful conditions that bare similarities with the case in hand. The overarching goal is to improve clinical outcomes through better understanding of the mechanisms, more accurate diagnosis, and wiser and more comprehensive treatment strategies.

Pain Medicine approaches the management of common chronic pain conditions using a unique interdisciplinary approach focusing on multiple facets of patients' clinical presentations. The comprehensive discussions in each chapter are centered on a vignette that mimics a fairly typical case presentation. In addition to detailed classical descriptions of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, prognosis, and confounding psychosocial factors of each disease entity, the text provides various interdisciplinary management approaches. The case-based approach illustrates key clinical points and demonstrates how practitioners from a variety of disciplines can work together to deliver optimal patient care. The ACGME criteria for fellowship training in Pain Medicine calls for an interdisciplinary approach, with required training and exposure to the fields of Anesthesiology, Neurology, Psychiatry, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. As this trend is occurring in private pain clinics and practices as well as in academic institutions, there is a need for a volume which integrates the approaches of the various disciplines into a coherent whole to guide clinicians and trainees in the interdisciplinary management of pain. With each chapter authored by respected experts in the key specialties involved with pain management, Pain Medicine is a highly applicable clinical reference for practitioners, an excellent anchor text for fellows and residents in training, and a thorough review for initial board certification as well as maintenance of certification exams.