Pain Management Advocates Hope 'Pain Coaches' Can Steer Injured Workers Away From Opioids

As workers’ compensation systems continue to look for ways to reduce injured employees’ reliance on opioids or expensive surgeries, advocates say a relatively new recovery option featuring “pain coaches” could help workers deal with chronic pain without experiencing potentially dangerous side effects. The treatment option doesn’t completely buck more traditional recovery routes such as prescription drugs, physical therapy or surgery, but pain coaching is intended to offer injured workers an alternative way to manage their pain by addressing biological, psychologi...