• Patience Moyo, Jessica S Merlin, Richa Gairola, Anthony Girard, Theresa I Shireman, Amal N Trivedi, and MarshallBrandon D LBDLDepartment of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA..
• Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA. patience_dow@brown.edu.
• J Gen Intern Med. 2024 Aug 1; 39 (11): 209721052097-2105.

BackgroundPractice guidelines recommend nonpharmacologic and nonopioid therapies as first-line pain treatment for acute pain. However, little is known about their utilization generally and among individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) for whom opioid and other pharmacologic therapies carry greater risk of harm.ObjectiveTo determine the association between a pre-existing OUD diagnosis and treatment of acute low back pain (aLBP).DesignRetrospective cohort study using 2016-2019 Medicare data.ParticipantsFee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with a new episode of aLBP.Main MeasuresThe main independent variable was OUD diagnosis measured prior to the first LBP claim (i.e., index date). Using multivariable logistic regressions, we assessed the following outcomes measured within 30 days of the index date: (1) nonpharmacologic therapies (physical therapy and/or chiropractic care), and (2) prescription opioids. Among opioid recipients, we further assessed opioid dose and co-prescription of gabapentin. Analyses were conducted overall and stratified by receipt of physical therapy, chiropractic care, opioid fills, or gabapentin fills during the 6 months before the index date.Key ResultsWe identified 1,263,188 beneficiaries with aLBP, of whom 3.0% had OUD. Two-thirds (65.8%) did not receive pain treatments of interest at baseline. Overall, nonpharmacologic therapy receipt was less prevalent and opioid and nonopioid pharmacologic therapies were more common among beneficiaries with OUD than those without OUD. Beneficiaries with OUD had lower odds of receiving nonpharmacologic therapies (aOR = 0.62, 99%CI = 0.58-0.65) and higher odds of prescription opioid receipt (aOR = 2.24, 99%CI = 2.17-2.32). OUD also was significantly associated with increased odds of opioid doses ≥ 90 morphine milligram equivalents/day (aOR = 2.43, 99%CI = 2.30-2.56) and co-prescription of gabapentin (aOR = 1.15, 99%CI = 1.09-1.22). Similar associations were observed in stratified groups though magnitudes differed.ConclusionsMedicare beneficiaries with aLBP and OUD underutilized nonpharmacologic pain therapies and commonly received opioids at high doses and with gabapentin. Complementing the promulgation of practice guidelines with implementation science could improve the uptake of evidence-based nonpharmacologic therapies for aLBP.© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society of General Internal Medicine.

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