Chronic Pain and Coronavirus
Your pain management resource for chronic pain, rheumatic/immune disease, medication management, telemedicine, and more during the COVID-19 pandemic.
PPM's guide to chronic pain management, rheumatic and immune diseases, telemedicine, prescribing, and more during COVID-19. Updated regularly: bookmark ppmjournal.com/COVID
Live House Call Sessions - Your Questions Answered
- WATCH BELOW: A House Call with Dr. Jeff Gudin and Dr. Jeffrey Fudin regarding how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting pain patients and pain management. (Based on an April 29, 2020 live session.)
WATCH BELOW our Migraine & Mental Health House Call with neurologist Lawrence Robbins, MD, and Patient Advocate Jaime Sanders (Recorded June 2020).
- STREAM our inaugural Facebook PPM House Call with ChronicBabe Jenni Grover on using creativity as an outlet to cope with chronic pain, and the coronavirus quarantine.
- LISTEN to pain specialist and clinical pharmacist Suzanne Amato Nesbit, PharmD, on how pain medicine is evolving in light of the pandemic and more as part of our Side Chat 20/20 series.
For People Living with Chronic Conditions
- US Pain Foundation Survey Shows Continued Uphill Battle for Pain Patients
- The Action Plan Every Pain Patient Needs Now (Infographic)
- Facing Coronavirus while Living with a Chronic Pain Condition
- How COVID is Spiking Opioid Overdoses
- How to Access Telemedicine Services & What Insurance Covers
- How to Prepare for Potential Hospitalization
- Using the Pandemic as an Opportunity to Implement Integrative Pain Care
- Anxiety: How to Cope with Heightened Anxiety. At-Home Relaxation Techniques. How to Tell if Chest Pain is from a Panic Disorder or COVID-19. (see tips below).
- COVID Risk for Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis: The science behind the immune system, oxidative stress, and cytokine storms
- What to Do if You Are Taking Immunosuppressant Drugs (DMARDs) for Rheumatoid Arthritis, MS, Lupus, and more
- Non-Essential Procedures on Hold: How to Mange Without Interventional Procedures (eg, injections, blocks)
- Physical Therapy Exercises and Devices You can Use at Home, as reocmmended by a Physical Therapist
- We Have to Be In This Together: One Patient's Plea
- How Two Moms Got Through the Virus
- How Two Immunocompromised Sisters are Coping (see their tips below)
- Parenting with Pain Under Lockdown: One Mother's Daily Quest
- Take our sister publicaton's general risk assessment quiz on COVID-19 and severe case quiz
- Self-management strategies and home-care devices for pain flares
- Find a Support Group
*If you live with a chronic pain condition and contracted/overcame COVID-19, and would like to share your story, please email the editor at ppmeditorial@remedyhealthmedia.com.
For HCPs and Clinicians Helping People with Chronic Conditions
In General
- Acute and Post-Infection Symptoms: What to Expect for Long-Term Convalescence and Exacerbated Pain
- How the Pandemic is Transforming Assessment. A neurologist's perspective, by Gary W. Jay, MD
- How COVID is Changing Pain Care for Clinicians and Fellows, with Steven H. Richeimer, MD
- Physical Therapy Exercises and Devices to Recommend to Your Patients, by Tiziano Marovino, DPT
- Managing Pain and Related Symptoms During Coronavirus (Published early in the crisis; Spring 2020)
Medication Management
- How Medication Shortages (eg, fentanyl) May Open Door to Analgesic Alternatives and Integrated Care Teams. More on obstacles and opportunities for integrative care.
- Managing Rheumatic/Immune Diseases During COVID-19. See also, the American College of Rheumatology's COVID-19 Clinical Guidance Task Force latest update (July 13, 2020) on treating patients.
- Managing Diabetes, Obesity, and Other Immune Diseases (IBD, MS, Psoriasis) During COVID-19
- Hydroxychloroquine Use and Risk in the Management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Plus: How HCQ is caught up in the COVID-19 pandemic)
- Long-Term Opioid Therapy, recommendations from ASRA
- Infectious Diseases Society of America's medication-based recommendations for treating patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in the context of a clinical trial (as of April 11, 2020).
Mental Health Care
- Pain Psychologist Bob Twillman's tips for guiding patients through heightened anxiety and depression.
Telemedicine for Providers
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Lessons Learned from a Behavioral Medicine Specialist (Troubleshooting, Technology & Etiquette)
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Clinical Considerations for Using Telemedicine with Pain Patients.
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How to Use Telecare in the Time of Coronavirus.
COVID-19 Resources for those with Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain
Infographics
Links
- American Psychiatric Association: Center for Workplace Mental Health
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
- CDC COVID-19 website
- Creaky Joints and Global Healthy Living Foundation: free support program for those with chronic disease and their families.
- National MS Society guidelines on disease-modifying drugs. There is a global effort to report cases of patients with MS who are infected with COVID-19 so that more can be learned about the behavior of the disease in these patients. Report info
- American College of Rheumatology FAQs and COVID-19 ACR Updates
- International Pain Foundation support group list by state
- SAMHSA tips for social distancing and feelings of isolation
- US Pain Foundation coronavirus resources
- Additional news and resources on our sister site, HealthCentral
- Additonal mental health resources on our sister site, PsyCom
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Last updated on: August 12, 2020
Continue Reading:
COVID-19: What It Means for Diabetics, the Obese, and Those with Other Immune Diseases
