Chronic Pain and Opioid Use in US Soldiers After Combat Deployment

Abstract

Chronic pain affects a quarter of people seeking primary health care. 1,2 Opioid medications are prescribed for chronic pain, but recently, rates of opioid use and misuse have ballooned, leading to significant numbers of overdose-related hospitalizations and deaths. 3 The prevalence of chronic pain and opioid use assoc iated w ith deployment is not well known, despite large numbers of wounded service members. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess chronic pain prevalence and opioid use in a nontreatment-seeking, active duty infantry population following deployment.