Skip to main content

Military Health System

Test of Sitewide Banner

This is a test of the sitewide banner capability. In the case of an emergency, site visitors would be able to visit the news page for addition information.

Getting creative: Reducing opioid use for returning warriors

Image of Airmen of the 174th Attack Wing participate in a weekly yoga class. Classes are intended to present an alternative way for 174th members to build both mental and physical strength. Yoga is also a way to alleviate chronic pain in the body. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Duane Morgan). Airmen of the 174th Attack Wing participate in a weekly yoga class. Classes are intended to present an alternative way for 174th members to build both mental and physical strength. Yoga is also a way to alleviate chronic pain in the body. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Duane Morgan)

When service members return from tour of duty with debilitating battlefield injuries, opioid prescriptions are common in their recovery process. Opioids are effective in reducing pain in patients but can be highly addictive as a pain treatment option. As a result, the Defense Health Agency is exploring alternate pain management techniques to decrease the number of opioid prescriptions in military hospitals.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2017 that drug overdose deaths involving opioids skyrocketed from roughly 8,000 in 1999 to over 46,000 in 2017. Of these numbers, deaths involving prescribed opioids jumped from around 3,000 to almost 17,000. DHA’s response has been an integrated approach to health that combines prescriptions with nonpharmacological pain treatments. DHA published a procedural instruction in 2018 that promotes physical and behavioral treatment techniques like acupuncture, massage, and music therapy as alternativess to address acute pain and prevent it from becoming chronic. Opioids would then be prescribed only when indicated.

Dr. Chester Buckenmaier, a professor at the Uniformed Services University and a licensed acupuncturist, agrees that these other pain treatment techniques are key to the future of pain management. While Buckenmaier is an anesthesiologist by trade, he teaches students at USU to take alternate treatments into consideration as they study to be the health care providers of tomorrow.

“The Defense Health Agency and USU are aggressively educating the next generation to look at these other techniques as first line treatments for pain,” Buckenmaier said. “We’re teaching them today that this is medicine.”

Outside the classroom, practitioners like Dr. Bhagwan Bahroo from the Psychiatry Continuity Service program at Walter Reed use yoga to treat pain in military hospitals.

“A good yoga session not only improves muscle tone, adds strength, and improves flexibility of the joints, but also helps bring peace of mind, reduces anxiety, and improves mood,” Bahroo explained. He added this method relieves pain intensity and increases daily function, two factors essential to successful pain management.

Acupuncture and yoga are only a few examples of nonmedication pain management treatments. Health care providers across the military are also exploring other approaches such as meditation and nutrition to combat pain while maintaining healthy, daily function. Battlefield acupuncture, or auriculotherapy, is already available at certain military hospitals, and TRICARE is evaluating the clinical effectiveness of traditional acupuncture, which could become a covered service in the future. With the implementation of the updated Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale, DHA will have a way to measure these techniques and their effects on pain.

“This is a cultural change that we’re bringing not only to our patients, but also to ourselves as clinicians,” Buckenmaier said.

Service members and civilians dealing with both acute and chronic pain are encouraged to explore these other techniques with their health care providers when considering an opioid prescription. For more information on how to manage pain, visit the Military Health System’s Pain Management page.

Read Mr. Thomas McCaffery's memo officially recognizing November as Warrior Care Month.  

You also may be interested in...

Road to the 2023 Warrior Games Challenge

Video
5/16/2023
Road to the 2023 Warrior Games Challenge

Wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans have trained and competed across all branches in an effort to secure a spot on their respective 2023 DOD Warrior Games Challenge teams. These are a few of the stories of those who are utilizing adaptive sports as a key component in their recovery. For more information regarding the Military Adaptive Sports Program and other transition opportunities, visit www.WarriorCare.mil.

Warrior Care: The Military Adaptive Sports Program

Video
12/7/2022
Warrior Care: The Military Adaptive Sports Program

Meet Coach Patrick Johnson, a veteran of the U.S. Navy who medically retired 13 years ago. Today he helps run Walter Reed's military adaptive sports program and coaches multiple crew teams in the National Capital Region. To learn more about military adaptive sports program, visit health.mil/warriorcare.

Pain Management Options

Video
10/4/2022
Pain Management Options

Lt. Col. Jennifer Varney discusses DHA's approach to pain management and alternatives to opioids.

Understanding Pain

Video
9/12/2022
Understanding Pain

“For someone experiencing chronic or acute pain the best thing to do, other than seek professional treatment, is to educate yourself on what’s happening inside your body and brain. Watch this video to learn the difference between chronic and acute pain, their possible causes, and how to find treatment. https://www.dvidshub.net/video/850903/understanding-pain”

Pain Management Paradigm

Video
9/12/2022
Pain Management Paradigm

Everyone experiences pain at some point in their life. The MHS approach to treating pain is evolving to be safer, tailored, and more effective. Learn more about the new pain paradigm here: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/833933/pain-management-paradigm

New DOD Pain Assessment Tool

Video
9/12/2022
New DOD Pain Assessment Tool

Clinicians used to ask patients what their pain was on a simple scale of one to ten. We now know that pain just isn’t that simple. Watch this video to learn why the Defense and Veteran’s Pain Rating Scale is a much-needed improvement (and how to use it to assess your own pain): https://www.dvidshub.net/video/856198/new-dod-pain-assessment-tool

Essentials of Quality Pain Care

Video
9/12/2022
Essentials of Quality Pain Care

Traditional approaches to pain care opted to simply medicate and satiate immediate needs. Now, the health care industry is committed to finding holistic and gradual methods to improve patients’ overall quality of life and restore a higher level of function. Watch this video to learn more: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/856199/essentials-quality-pain-care

Battlefield Acupuncture Training

Video
3/21/2022
Battlefield Acupuncture Training

Student at the Uniformed Services University learns how acupuncture can help treat pain on the battlefield.

Warrior Care

Video
10/14/2021
Warrior Care

DOD has no higher priority than caring for wounded, ill and injured service members and the caregivers who support them.

Prevent Opioid Misuse and Overdose with These Safety Tips

Video
9/1/2021
Prevent Opioid Misuse and Overdose with These Safety Tips

When used correctly, opioids can be a useful part of your healing process. However, it's far too easy to misuse and overdose on opioids if you don't follow certain safety tips. Learn how you can safely use and dispose of opioid medications and how to help someone in need.

MHS Minute: November 2020

Video
11/27/2020
MHS Minute: November 2020

During Warrior Care Month, we reflect on the strength and resilience of our nation's wounded, ill, and injured service members, and recognize the caregivers who support their recovery and rehabilitation.

Pain Management Paradigm

Video
8/21/2020
Pain Management Paradigm

This video discusses various pain management strategies.

Wounded Warrior Care Event

Video
11/2/2015
Wounded Warrior Care Event

Air Force Captain Chris Cochran speaks about how the Air Force Wounded Warrior (AFW2) program rekindled his passion for archery.

Page 1 of 1 , showing items 1 - 13
Refine your search
Last Updated: September 02, 2022
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery