Chronic Pain Management: Expert Perspective

The Arthritis Foundation—August 27, 2016

In a recently published position paper written by the Arthritis Foundation, Vladimir N. Kramskiy, MD, a neurologist and director of the Ambulatory Recuperative Pain Medicine Program at Hospital for Special Surgery, explains effective treatments for individuals living with chronic pain.

Dr. Kramskiy explains, "There are many different NSAIDs, and patients respond to them differently. Finding the correct agent takes trial-and-error. Patients often think if one doesn't work, we've failed, but that's often not the case. NSAIDs should only be used when they are needed most – for example, first thing in the morning or after exercise – to avoid serious gastrointestinal, cardiac and renal side effects." Dr. Kramskiy adds, "We want to minimize symptoms and improve function to avoid long-term [use of painkillers]."

To read more, visit Arthritis.org.