Articles: chronic-pain.
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The adequate cotreatment of chronic pain and addiction disorders is a complex and challenging problem for health care professionals. There is great potential for cannabinoids in the treatment of pain; however, the increasing prevalence of recreational cannabis use has led to a considerable increase in the number of people seeking treatment for cannabis use disorders. Evidence that cannabis abuse liability is higher than previously thought suggests that individuals with a history of substance abuse may be at an increased risk after taking cannabinoids, even for medicinal purposes. ⋯ Thus, there is a need for pharmaceutical-grade products of known purity and concentration using delivery systems optimized for safety. Another factor that needs to be considered when assessing the practicality of prescribing medicinal cannabinoids is the difficulty in differentiating illicit from prescribed cannabinoids in urine drug testing. Overall, a thorough assessment of the risk/benefit profile of cannabinoids as they relate to a patient's substance abuse history is suggested.
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Discogenic low back pain is a common cause of chronic low back pain that remains a treatment challenge. The innervation and transmission of nociceptive information from painful lumbar discs has only recently been better described. ⋯ Radiofrequency lesioning of the L2 ramus communicans seems to offer partial relief for patients suffering from discogenic pain. Further studies are needed to confirm our results.
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Facet joint interventions are used frequently for managing chronic spinal pain. Evidence continues to accumulate supporting the clinical effectiveness of these procedures and defining potential complications. ⋯ The evidence for facet joint interventions ranged from negative to strong.
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The lifetime prevalence of spinal pain has been reported as 54% to 80%, with as many as 60% of patients continuing to have chronic pain five years or longer after the initial episode. Spinal pain is associated with significant economic, societal, and health impact. Available evidence documents a wide degree of variance in the definition and the practice of interventional pain management. ⋯ These guidelines included the evaluation of evidence for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in managing chronic spinal pain and recommendations for managing spinal pain. However, these guidelines do not constitute inflexible treatment recommendations. These guidelines do not represent "a standard of care".
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To provide clinicians with guidelines for the use of cannabinoid compounds in the treatment of chronic pain. ⋯ A practical approach to the treatment of chronic pain with cannabinoid compounds is presented. Specific suggestions about the off-label dosing of nabilone (Cesamet, Valeant Canada limitee/Limited) and dronabinol (Marinol, Solvay Pharma Inc, Canada) in the treatment of chronic pain are provided.