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Article: And if you're hurting from other causes.... (new advances in acute pain management)
- Article from:
- Medical Update
- Article date:
- December 1, 1992
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1992 Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Recent studies have shown what many patients have known for years--that many physicians have a tendency to medicate patients in acute pain. The usual reason, of course, is that the doctor does not want the patient to become dependent upon strong drugs for pain relief--or, worse, to become addicted. Instead of viewing pain as an entity of its own that requires careful evaluation of cause and treatment, the tendency has been to "play it safe" by giving as little painkiller as possible, hoping that it will soon go away.
Fortunately, this attitude is rapidly changing. Certain pains are true emergencies that demand aggressive treatment. Anyone who has known the pain ...