ACOEM Chronic Pain Guidelines Now Available Online

WESTMINSTER, Colo., Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) today published new medical treatment guidelines for providing care to workers with chronic pain. The new guidelines, which represent the latest chapter in ACOEM's comprehensive publication Occupational Medicine Practice Guidelines, are available online now; in September a print version will be available.

More than 200 recommendations for chronic pain are outlined in the new evidence-based guidelines, which were developed by a multi-disciplinary panel of national experts and were reviewed by representatives of leading medical and health organizations. The recommendations focus on diagnostic and other testing and treatments for several chronic pain conditions, including: complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), neuropathic pain, trigger points/myofascial pain, chronic persistent pain, fibromyalgia and chronic low back pain.

An extensive volume of literature was utilized to develop the recommendations, which feature more than 1,500 references, including 546 randomized controlled trials.

"These guidelines were developed using ACOEM's published methodology, which incorporates the highest scientific standards for reviewing evidence-based literature, ensuring the most rigorous, reproducible, and transparent occupational health guidelines available," said Editor-in-Chief Kurt T. Hegmann, MD, MPH. "Literally thousands of hours of review of the available scientific literature went into this process, yielding what we consider state-of-the-art medical guidelines."

Other highlights of the new chronic pain guidelines include:

-- An in-depth review of over 20 medications (prescription, over-the-counter, complementary and alternative) used to treat patients with chronic pain, including an extensive appendix on guidance for the use of opioids.

-- Detailed recommendations regarding the use of appliances (e.g., magnets), skilled allied-health provided medical therapies (e.g., acupuncture, manipulation/mobilization, myofascial release), electrical therapies (e.g., PENS, TENS).

-- Uses and limitations of injection therapies (e.g., diagnostic and therapeutic facet joint injections, trigger/tender point injections, botulinum injections, intrathecal drugs).

-- A discussion of spinal cord stimulation for CRPS and other painful conditions.

-- A detailed review of psychological services (e.g., evaluation and behavior therapy) and rehabilitation for delayed recovery, including biofeedback, work conditioning/work hardening/early intervention programs, and interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation programs.

-- A focus on functional restoration, including an active exercise program and behavioral program.

In addition to being available electronically, the new chronic pain guidelines will also be available in a new print edition of the Occupational Medicine Practice Guidelines 2nd Edition, 2008 Revision, which is currently in production. Orders are being accepted now for delivery in September of this comprehensive volume, which includes guidelines on a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. Individual chapters from the print publication are also available at ACOEM's website.

ACOEM's online treatment guidelines are exclusively distributed by Reed Group. For more information, or to order UMK Professional or the ACOEM Guidelines Electronic version, visit http://www.reedgroup.com or call a product consultant at 866.889.4449.

About Reed Group:

Dr. Presley Reed founded Reed Group in 1981 to address workplace productivity and employee absenteeism issues in the corporate environment. Reed Group maintains four key lines of business: Guidelines, Service, Data Analytics, and Education. In addition to providing integrated clinical case management service for non-occupational and occupational leaves, Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and other leave of absence administrative services to employers, Reed Group publishes the industry-standard disability duration guidelines, The Medical Disability Advisor (textbook, Windows software, and Internet and data integration versions), now in its Fifth Edition. For more information, call 866.889.4449, or visit http://www.reedgroup.com.

About ACOEM

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) represents more than 5,000 physicians specializing in occupational and environmental medicine. Founded in 1916, ACOEM is the nation's largest medical society dedicated to promoting the health of workers through preventive medicine, clinical care, disability management, research, and education. For more information, visit http://www.acoem.org.

SOURCE Reed Group

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