Persistence of Opioid Prescribing after a Forearm or Lower Leg Fracture

Excerpt

Understanding the relationship between opioid treatment for acute pain and subsequent long-term use is necessary to inform clinical decisions on pain treatment. Previous research has described long-term opioid use after treatment for acute pain in postoperative and fragility fracture treatment.1 ^– 3 We carefully examined the association between forearm and lower leg fractures in 2011 and opioid prescription in 2011–2014 among disabled Medicare beneficiaries who did not have opioid prescriptions in 2010. We focused on forearm and lower leg fractures because these injuries to major long bones not directly connected to the torso have limited long-term health consequences and are less likely to cause health complications. …