The new guidelines, published in the April 2010 issue of Anesthesiology, were developed by the 12-member Task Force on Chronic Pain Management, chaired by Richard W. Rosenquist, MD, director of the Center for Pain Medicine and Regional Anesthesia at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. The original guidelines being updated were published in 1997.
The guidelines, intended for anesthesiologists and other pain medicine specialists, are based on both scientific and opinion-based evidence, according to the guidelines.
Among the treatments for chronic pain that are discussed in the guidelines are:
• Ablative techniques
• Acupuncture
• Blocks
• Botulinum toxin
• Electrical nerve stimulation
• Epidural steroids with or without local anesthetics
• Intrathecal drug therapies
• Minimally invasive spinal procedures
• Pharmacologic management
• Physical or restorative therapy
• Psychological treatment
• Trigger point injections
Read the new anesthesiology practice guidelines here.
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