Intermountain Health Experts Say There are Alternatives to Opioids to Help Patients Safely Manage Pain

In the U.S., nearly one of four adults suffer from chronic pain. That is why Intermountain Health experts say it’s an opportune topic to discuss treatment options to fight pain. These can  include mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy. It is also important to discuss how to dispose of used opioids and increase community awareness of opioid overdoses.

“Acute and chronic pain can impact every aspect of a person’s life,” said Kim Compagni,

Intermountain Health’s assistant vice president for Pain Management Services. “At Intermountain Health, we make it a priority to promote awareness, educate, and discuss chronic pain with our patients, to help them live a functional, high-quality life.”

Acute Pain vs Chronic Pain

Acute pain is the most common type of pain, usually associated with common illnesses or injuries like cuts and sprains, or trauma from a severe accident or major surgery. Acute pain occurs suddenly and usually goes away as you heal.

Chronic Pain

If pain lasts more than three months, it is considered chronic or persistent pain, and patients may require help from a provider to understand the cause and determine treatment options.

Intermountain Health utilizes experienced primary care providers, highly trained specialists, and a balanced interdisciplinary team approach to treating the physical and psychological causes and effects of chronic pain.

Some effects of chronic pain may include: limited mobility, lack of energy, muscle fatigue or tightness, appetite changes, depression, anger, depression, or anxiety.

Most common pain conditions include: back pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, hip pain, and foot pain.

“Patients can still live a happy productive life with chronic pain,” said Compagni. “We encourage patients to talk to their provider to consider other options to help with chronic pain symptoms.”

Psychological Causes of Pain

“Pain is always both physical and psychological,” said Eric Ghelfi, PhD, clinical psychologist at Intermountain Utah Valley Pain Management Clinic. “We know that the brain areas associated with processing pain and processing emotion are closely linked.”

Psychological factors for pain can include: poor sleep, relationship stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and catastrophizing- contributing significantly to the development and maintenance of chronic pain.

“Addressing the psychosocial factors concurrently with physical concerns is an important part of chronic pain treatment,” said Dr. Ghelfi. “Hurt also does not equal harm and in many cases, pain persists despite an injury having healed. It can be important to remind oneself that one can be, ‘sore and safe.”

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for chronic pain, these psychosocial factors are targeted.

“Specifically, we look at behaviors like avoidance, withdrawal, emotions – like sadness, anger, frustration. and thoughts – like catastrophizing, negative beliefs and expectations and analyze how they contribute to a patient’s pain condition,” said Dr. Ghelfi. “We work toward helping patients reengage in pleasant activities, restructure their thinking to be more balanced, and to manage their emotions more effectively.”

For example, Dr. Ghelfi says that as stress and anxiety systems become activated, so does the pain system.

Learning skills in CBT to regulate the threat system works simultaneously to manage anxiety and reduce the negative impact of pain.

“We also use approaches like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which teach mindfulness and non-judgmental awareness of thoughts and sensations,” said Dr. Ghelfi. “This helps patients transform their relationship with pain. Even if they are unable to reduce the pain itself, they can work toward improving their function and their ability to find enjoyment and meaning in life with pain.”

Opioids

Opioids can be an important part of treatment, but they also come with serious risks.

It’s important to work with a healthcare provider to make sure you are getting the safest, most effective care. Intermountain Pain Management Services can help patients with options to manage their pain with and without opioids.

Naloxone Awareness

Naloxone is an important medication to have on hand if you or a family member uses opioids.

Naloxone is a life-saving medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. It works by temporarily reducing the effects of the drug so that patients can get to a medical facility.

Intermountain Health has now made it easier and more convenient for families to have access to naloxone in Utah and Idaho with its new Naloxone on Demand program.

Naloxone on Demand is a free program that aims to make the life-saving medication readily available, so that everyone has this life-saving resource and help in their home for those who may experience an opioid overdose.

All that’s required is the following:

• Complete the online request form here (only takes a few minutes).
• Consult with a pharmacist over the phone.
• Provide prescription insurance information.
• Medication is then shipped to your door.

Intermountain Pain Management Services

Intermountain Health’s Pain Management team aims to reduce the stigma associated with pain, improve patient access for pain management resources and enhance the quality of life for those affected by pain.

The Pain Management team includes:

• Pain management and physical medicine/rehab physicians
• Advanced practice providers
• Physical therapists
• Behavioral health specialists
• Clinical pharmacists
• Dietitians

Intermountain Pain Management offers the following services:

• Interdisciplinary approach
• Individualized treatment plans for each patient
• Multiple methods of treating pain with a decreased focus on opioids
• Comprehensive approach for treating chronic and acute pain
• Behavioral health counseling
• Physical therapy
• Interventional procedures
• FREE communitybased Chronic Pain Self-Management classes
• Medication assisted treatment
• Expanded options for pain control

To learn more about Intermountain Health’s Pain Management services, visit Home | Pain Management (intermountainhealthcare.org). For up-to-date information and announcements please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.