Clinical Characteristics of Chronic Back Pain as a Function of Gender and Oral Opioid Use

Results indicate that both opioid use and gender are significant predictors of clinical status of patients with chronic spinal pain, and opioid use was associated with greater self-reported disability and poorer function in both women and men.

Abstract

These findings indicate that both opioid use and gender are significant predictors of clinical status of patients with chronic spinal pain. More interesting, these two variables interact because opioid use was associated with increased affective distress among the men, but the reverse was true for the women. In addition, the women reported greater pain severity, which is consistent with some previous findings. Potential explanations for these findings are presented, and the practical implications are discussed.