An inter-agency task force, comprised of 12 public members, nine organization representative members, and eight federal members, released a report this week, entitled Pain Management Best Practices, in an effort to offer updates, gaps, inconsistencies, and recommendations regarding the opioid crisis in relation to managing acute and chronic pain.

The report, which totals 108-pages, emphasizes “patient-centered care in the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic pain,” and features a thorough section regarding the benefits of restorative therapies, such as therapeutic exercise, massage therapy, traction, and more. The report goes on to urge an approach of multimodality, including medications, nerve blocks, physical therapy, and others to combat acute pain conditions, in place of opioids.

As it currently stands, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 50 million adults in the U.S. struggle with the effects of chronic pain on a daily basis, and opioids were involved in 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017—67.8% of all drug overdose deaths.

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