NSPC’ Dr. Staats Discusses Opioids in Wall Street Journal

The highly regarded pain management specialists of National Spine & Pain Centers continue to be sought-after subject matter experts on discussions regarding our nation’s opioid epidemic.

Peter Staats, M.D., NSPC’s chief medical officer, was recently quoted in an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “The Heated Quest for Opioid Alternatives.” The May 28, 2018 article points out that the “search for new treatments is a race not only against the tide of opioid abuse but also against the aging of America. With the population developing more back problems, joint diseases and other age-related illness, pain is ubiquitous.”

That is not news to the pain specialists of National Spine & Pain Centers, who continue to see new patients every day for treatment of conditions such as osteoarthritis pain, spinal compression fractures and herniated discs.

The Opioids Discussion brings new light regarding alternatives for pain.

Although minimally invasive interventional techniques such as kyphoplasty, percutaneous discectomy and radiofrequency neurotomy can actually eliminate the source of a patient’s pain, there are cases when pain management with medication is an integral part of a comprehensive and successful treatment plan.

But given the scope of the current opioid epidemic and efforts to control the flow of opioids into our communities, Dr. Staats says more must be done. “We desperately need alternatives,” he said.

The Wall Street Journal article goes on to point out that drug makers are working on new formulations of pain killers, some of which have demonstrated promise in early clinical trials. But until many of these drugs are officially approved by the FDA and brought to market, the challenge for pain specialists like Dr. Staats and his colleagues at National Spine & Pain Centers is to help patients address their pain with the existing set of therapies.

“The good news is that we have many more options available to us today than we did even five years ago. That is why we encourage anyone who is in pain to contact one of our offices immediately,” he said. “As pain specialists, we are committed to the proper management of pain medication when appropriate. But we also know that there are many ways we can help people regain their quality of life through procedures that we can perform right in our offices. The kind of minimally invasive interventional techniques we perform offer real hope for pain relief without opioids.”

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