People Are Running, Biking, and Hiking Again. Are You Up to Speed on Treating Their Injuries?

Now that the weather is turning warmer in much of the country—coinciding with relaxed attitudes toward COVID-19 and a general need to get out of the house—many people are venturing outside to exercise for the first time in months. Undoubtedly, many of them are a bit rusty and may be inclined to overdo it and injure themselves in the process. According to the American Academy of Pain Medicine, this may be a good time to challenge everything you thought you knew about pain management in athletic injuries. One key message is that opiates have been overused in the past while acetaminophen and anti-inflammatory drugs have been underprescribed. AAPM goes one step further than suggesting what providers should recommend, to suggesting that patient counseling should be more assertive in some patients. Noting that ultradistance runners are inclined to take NSAIDs as a preventive measure against injury before running, for example, the group suggests reminding patients that no data support that practice—and some indicate that practice could actually be dangerous.