Doctors Who Prescribe Medication to Treat Chronic Back Pain
Prescriber habits and patients' perceptions
If you live with chronic back pain, how would you describe your average pain? SpineUniverse asked people with chronic back, mid back and neck pain that question in its Chronic Back Pain in America 2015 survey. As you probably know, many patients with a spine problem may experience pain and other symptoms (eg, muscle spasms, tingling sensations) elsewhere in their back. In Table 1 (below), 20%+ of survey participants described their pain as “strong pain.”
Opioids/Narcotics Use
From the survey results, the majority of people take narcotics (painkillers) to help manage their symptoms. Patients with any spine pain at any level—neck, mid back, low back and/or sacrum—reported either their primary care physician or pain management specialist prescribed their pain medications.
Other related questions and interesting answers are featured below.
Does your doctor prescribe opioids (narcotics) to help you manage chronic spine pain?
Did patients find it difficult to fill an Rx for an opioid at their pharmacy?
- 73% (n=119) reported “No”
- 27% (n=44) reported “Yes”
Do you have a “treatment agreement” with your prescribing doctor?
As reported in this survey, how common was urine drug testing?
- 46% (n=131) reported “No”
- 38% (n=108) reported “Yes”
Do you feel your prescribing doctor trusts you with your medications?
