Painful Bunions: Risk Factors for Failure of Corrective Surgery

Dr. Johnson

PainRelief.com Interview with:
Matthew Johnson, D.P.M.
Assistant Professor
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

PainRelief.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: There is a paucity of literature attempting to characterize risk factors for nonunion of the Lapidus bunionectomy.

PainRelief.com: Would you briefly describe what is meant by a bunion?

Bunion with cornDermNet NZ image

Response: Bunions are a chronic painful bump that forms on the base of the big toe when the long metatarsal bone shifts toward the inside of the foot and the phalanx bones of the big toe angle toward the second toe.



Policymakers Can Mitigate Prescription Opioid Misuse Associated with Delayed Dispensing for Pain Relief after Procedures

PainRelief.com Interview with:
Kao
Ping ChuaMD, PhD
Department of Pediatrics
Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center
University of Michigan Medical School
Department of Health Management and Policy
University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor

PainRelief.com:  What is the background for this study? 

Response: Opioid prescriptions written by dentists and surgeons are almost always written for the immediate relief of acute pain after procedures. However, current federal and state laws allow these prescriptions to be dispensed well after the time that they are written. When this occurs, that could be a potential sign that the prescription was used in a time frame or for a reason other than intended by the prescriber, both of which are forms of prescription opioid misuse.

Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery for Leg or Back Pain Linked to Improved Pain Relief and Function

PainRelief.com Interview with:
Dr. Mohamad Bydon MD
Professor of Neurosurgery
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota

:Dr. Bydon MD

PainRelief.com:  What is the background for this study?

Response: Patients presenting with back or leg pain due to degenerative lumbar spine disease often undergo spinal fusion to mitigate the symptoms and halt the progression of the disease.

PainRelief.com: What are the main findings?

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in the lumbar spine encompasses a variety of techniques, such as percutaneous screw placement and operation via tubular retractors, and aims to limit the distortion of patients’ anatomy as much as possible. Eventually, compared to open fusion, MIS fusion is associated with decreased muscle destruction, incision size, and time-to-mobilization.

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