Pain severity and opioid use in patients with spine-related diagnoses

Objective: Clinical guidelines recommend opioid use only in severe and unresponsive cases of low back pain. Limited evidence exists on pain levels and opioid use in spine-related diagnoses (SRD). This study assessed the association between self-reported pain severity and opioid use among U.S. adults with SRD. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis using 2018-2021 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data. Adults aged ≥18 with SRD diagnoses and pain prescriptions were included. Pain severity was assessed using the Veterans Rand-12 item on pain interference with routine work. Pain medication use was determined from prescription records. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association after controlling for other factors. Results: According to the MEPS, there were 1.91 million (95% CI: 1.71-2.11) adults with SRD receiving pain medications annually, among whom 63.92% received opioid prescriptions. Most of the SRD patients were