In the past, when a workplace injury caused an injured worker to develop chronic pain, it is likely that their doctor prescribed opioids for pain management. Unfortunately, while opioids do relieve pain temporarily, they do not help injured people recover, nor do they prevent the pain from occurring again. Even worse, they are highly addictive.
Recently, there has been severe criticism of the frequent use of opioids to treat chronic pain. There has also been regulatory action on the topic, with the net result being a dramatic drop in the number of opioid prescriptions that are being written for patients with chronic pain. This is a step in the right direction, but worker’s compensation, which has covered opioid medications for chronic pain, does not yet cover treatments that are designed to prevent chronic pain or treatments that will aid in recovery from chronic pain.
Some people who have experienced chronic pain following a workplace injury have engaged in behavioral approaches to chronic pain. These programs, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, can help prevent chronic pain. Behavioral approaches have also been shown to help patients recover from chronic pain.
People who have been managing their chronic pain with opioids can find success with behavioral approaches if they are encouraged to access those approaches by their insurers. For example, some behavioral approaches involve tapering off of opioids so that the patient can understand how their body would feel without them. This, in and of itself, can be a very telling experience. Sometimes, an attempt to come off of opioids will require admission to a detox facility. At other times, coming off of opioids may result in much less pain being felt than the patient had anticipated feeling, which may indicate that the opioids had been causing the patient to feel pain more intensely than they would have felt it without them.
Telephone coaching programs are easy for injured workers to access. Some workers who have engaged in telephone coaching programs report that they have been able to learn new ways of thinking about chronic pain, and techniques for managing it without opioids. This is especially important because many injured workers who have been prescribed opioids for chronic pain would rather prevent the pain or recover from it than push it away temporarily with this highly addictive class of medication.
When worker’s compensation insurers deal with workers who experience chronic pain because of a workplace injury, they have options. Increasingly, more insurers are encouraging injured workers to try behavioral approaches to pain prevention and management first, before proceeding to using opioids to relieve the pain.
Barrett Law PLLC: Helping Injured Mississippi Workers Pursue Workers’ Compensation Claims
The Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC understand that it can be difficult to live with the chronic pain that sometimes develops after a workplace injury. Fortunately, there are some approaches to treating chronic pain that have helped people to prevent and even recover from it. If you suffer from chronic pain, you may be able to access these alternative approaches to opioid treatment. If you have been injured at work, seek out a knowledgeable guide who can help you navigate the workers’ compensation claim process. Call the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today at 1 (800) 707-9577 to schedule your free, initial consultation.