cbaker_admin
Thu, 08/27/2020 – 10:00
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the American College of Physicians (ACP) jointly issued guidance advising physicians to use topical NSAIDs, with or without menthol gel, as first-line therapy for treating acute pain from non-low back musculoskeletal injuries. The evidence-based guideline was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. It states that oral NSAIDS, acetaminophen, specific acupressure, or transcutaneous nerve stimulation are also effective treatments for non-low back musculoskeletal injuries, but does not advise the use of opioid analgesics, including tramadol, except in cases of severe injury or intolerance to first-line therapies. The guidance was based on evidence of the benefits and harms of managing this condition in the outpatient setting. Musculoskeletal injuries—including ankle, neck, and knee injuries—are frequently treated in outpatient settings. These injuries caused more than 65 million health care visits nationwide in 2010, and of injuries that were treated in a physician’s office, 80% were musculoskeletal. The estimated yearly cost of treating musculoskeletal injuries was about $176 billion in 2010. AAFP President Gary LeRoy, MD, says: “This guideline is not intended to provide a one-size-fits-all approach to managing non-low back pain. Our main objective was to provide a sound and transparent framework to guide family physicians in shared decision making with patients.”
