WARWICK – The Rhode Island Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association, in concert with the national association’s #CHOOSEPT campaign, will host Joseph Brence, a physical therapist, researcher and frequent lecturer, to discuss how best to treat patients in pain, whether they have already turned to opioids for pain relief or not.
Open only to medical professionals, most notably physical therapists and physical therapy assistants, the lecture will be held March 15, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at New England Institute of Technology’s Media Presentation Theater, One New England Tech Blvd., East Greenwich.
“[Our] state desperately needs an alternative to prescription opioids that is proven, consistent and reliable,” Jason Harvey, president of the Rhode Island Chapter of APTA, who is also a physical therapist and co-owner of Elite Physical Therapy, said in a statement from the Rhode Island Chapter of APTA. Rhode Island ranks sixth in the nation for deaths due to opioid overdoses, and the epidemic is affecting demographics in every community.
Opioid addiction often begins with a painful musculoskeletal problem for which a patient is prescribed an opioid for pain, according to the statement. If that initial problem is not resolved, the opioid remains the solution; over time, patients may become addicted, which leads to other health problems.
“As we consider some of the safety concerns around opioid usage, we need to … evaluate what we know about pain, so that we can determine safer ways to manage it. We are seeing an evolving body of evidence … that demonstrates physical therapists can offer very effective interventions for the management of pain. One of the largest challenges though, is conveying our findings to a population that has learned, ‘When I hurt, I need to take something.’ My talk will cover strategies for effectively getting the message out,” Brence said in the statement.
The registration fee is $35 for R.I. APTA members, $47 for a nonmember medical professional and $10 for a physical-therapy student. To register for the lecture, visit riapta.com and click on the events tab. Paid registrants can elect to watch the streamed lecture online if they choose not to attend in person.
