Ignoring pain appears to produce a situation in which the affected area is more compromised by repetitive motion injury. The most successful patients have the clearest idea of their limitations and act accordingly. Those that continue to fly in the face of pain appear to fair the worst. Pain, thus remains a signal and is not to be ignored . As professionals we tend to avoid knowledge of those conditions which have no useful treatment.
Cancer diagnosis improves with effective treatment, for instance.
Chronic pain diagnosis improves in accuracy with effective treatment. It has become very clear in the past year that the Springer Group staff is dependent on the therapeutic community of patients here in preventing the misuse of opioids . Although I believe that we could function without the help of the therapeutic community, one patient with a prescription of a dangerous substance is more vulnerable than a one many patients within a therapeutic community. Our first concern for the year 1995 was whether there has been an increase in overall use of Percocet and other oxycodone derivatives. The chart below indicates the year's usage.