Long Covid – just a pain in the neck? by Dr Danielle Shead
Over the last 18 months South Africa, as well as the rest of the world, has faced crushing Covid-19 waves. SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) is a major pandemic resulting in substantial mortality and morbidity worldwide. Of the individuals affected, about 80% have suffered mild to moderate disease and among those with severe disease, 5% develop critical illness.
How do opioids work? by Dr Roland van Rensburg
The opioids are one of the most effective analgesics currently available for moderate to severe pain. They are ubiquitous in pain management worldwide, and are a very useful tool in the analgesic armamentarium. In addition to significant pain relief, opioids have the potential to cause euphoria and addiction. The ongoing opioid epidemic has shed light on the factors contributing to addiction and misuse, and opioids should therefore be prescribed with utmost caution, in the appropriately selected patient, for the right indication, and at the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time.
Opioid minimisation for acute pain management by Dr Eric Hodgson
The ancestors of modern humans can be assumed to have been exposed to naturally occurring opiates, occurring in various plants, for many thousands of years. This assumption can be made since an opiatelike receptor-based system occurs naturally within the human nervous system. This system is proven to provide effective pain relief. The endogenous opiates, encephalins and endorphins, are peptides that bind to specific receptors, to provide extremely effective pain relief.
The influence of state of mind on managing acute pain by Dr Caroline Corbet
Pain is a universally accepted consequence of many processes and experiences in our lives. Whether it is accepting that we may feel a needle-prick with a vaccination, or that we may feel pain after major surgery, pain is an inter-woven life experience and is as much part of our longevity as are growth and ageing. What is, however, avoidable is suffering. Suffering is defined as “the unpleasant experience, threat, or perception of harm or pain”. This should therefore be seen as a complication of poorly managed pain and not as an inevitable result of the physical or pathophysiological stimulus itself. If approached in this way, certain patients can then be identified as higher risk for suffering or the acute exacerbation thereof, and mitigation for their risk factors can be properly explored.
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