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Pain affects thousands of service members and family members every day. The Military Health System is committed to providing safe and effective pain management options for all of our patients
- About 50 million US adults have chronic pain, one of the most common reasons for adults to seek medical care.
- Chronic pain (i.e., back and knee pain) is one of the most common reasons service members seek care at military hospitals and clinics.
- You are not alone.
- There is hope for pain relief.
- Every person experiences and responds to pain differently.
- There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to treating pain.
- Your medical provider will work with you to find the treatments that work for you.
- A range of options are available to manage pain, including behavioral, physical, and pharmacological methods.
- Treating pain requires a holistic, gradual approach to find the right treatment plan for each individual is aimed at restoring persons to a higher level of function, and returning service members to full duty status.
- A comprehensive approach to pain management includes lifestyle components like sleep and diet, and clinically proven complementary and integrative health services like chiropractic manipulation, acupuncture, and massage therapy.
- DOD and VA use a Stepped Care Model of pain management to get patients the appropriate level of pain care throughout the continuum of acute and chronic pain. The Stepped Care Model:
- Utilizes evidence-based treatments for the management of acute and chronic pain.
- Promotes non-pharmacologic and non-opioid treatment.
- Seeks to prevent acute pain from becoming chronic
- Escalates and de-escalates care as appropriate based on clinical indicators.
- Is a collaboration between the patient, the primary care provider and pain specialists as needed.
- The MHS pain management approach emphasizes non-pharmacologic (drug) pain management therapies, when possible.
- Unintentional opioid overdoses can result in serious illness or death.
- For patients requiring opioid therapy, the MHS employs risk mitigation strategies to minimize complications.
- Your provider will work with you to develop a collaborative plan to taper you off opioids as soon as it is appropriate.
- Naloxone is an opioid overdose antidote or rescue drug. Many patients who are prescribed opioids might also be prescribed Naloxone. You can request naloxone from a pharmacist or provider if you believe that you or someone in your home is at risk of an accidental opioid overdose.
- Accidental overdoses are not uncommon and Naloxone is proven to save lives.
- If you’ve been taking opioid pain medication for more than a few weeks, never stop taking them without consulting with your medical provider. Your provider will help you stop taking these medications safely and comfortably.
- Once you’ve stopped taking your prescribed opioids, never take any “left-over” pain medication at any time in the future.
- This can result in an accidental overdose and even death. Talk to your provider if you feel you need prescription pain medication again.
- Visit the Health.mil drug take back page to learn how to properly dispose of unused or expired medications.
Click on the images below to download or share to educate your audiences about the Military Health System's pain management program.
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Last Updated: August 04, 2023