More than 50 union members and retirees turned out for a workshop on tackling chronic pain, the last in the yearlong UFT Welfare Fund Medical Learning Series, on April 21 at UFT headquarters.

Dr. David Rosenblum, the director of Pain Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn and his colleague, Dr. Gary Schwartz, who are both board-certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine, presented the latest information on pain management and held a question-and-answer session at the end.

Treating chronic pain problems such as sciatica and muscle pain with opiates does not address the problem and can lead to serious side effects including addiction, dependency, depression and withdrawal, Dr. Rosenblum said.

Today, he added, there are effective forms of treatment that don’t involve those risks, such as targeted therapies to minimize and eliminate pain.

While treatment will vary from patient to patient, it may include education, physical therapy, modification of activities and interventions such as cortisone injections, local anesthetics to block the nerves and spinal cord stimulation.

Obesity, smoking, inactivity and poor diet can contribute to pain problems, and changes in lifestyle may significantly help to manage and decrease pain, Dr. Schwartz said. above: