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Acute Pain Management Is Not All or Nothing: Expanding the Non-Opioid Toolbox

Clinical Thought

Acute pain management continues to evolve as healthcare professionals seek to balance effective pain control while minimizing opioid-related risks through individualized, multimodal treatment strategies. This activity reviews practical considerations for tailoring acute pain management based on patient characteristics, procedural factors, and medication-specific benefits and limitations. Learners will explore how the emergence ofnovel non-opioid analgesics is expanding the range of therapeutic options available to support individualized treatment decisions for moderate to severe acute pain.

Released: August 10, 2026

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Provided by

Provided by Clinical Care Options, LLC dba Decera Clinical Education

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Supporters

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Target Audience

This activity is intended for healthcare professionals involved in the management of acute pain, including physicians, nurses, physician associates, and those practicing in gynecology, urology, internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, general surgery, plastic surgery and orthopedic surgery.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

  • Summarize unmet needs related to current opioid-based therapeutic approaches for acute pain management

  • Evaluate the mechanism of action, pharmacologic profiles, efficacy, and safety of approved and key investigational sodium channel inhibitors for acute moderate to severe pain management

  • Apply evidence-based strategies to optimize management of people with acute pain in a way that minimizes safety concerns while preserving quality of life

Financial Disclosures

Primary Author

Michael Sprintz, DO, DFASAM: owner: Advanced Genomics Lab; consultant/advisor/speaker: Patch Technologies, Spark BioMedical, Tafalgie; stock/stock options: Affect, Bridge.

Additional Disclosures

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used for data analysis or summarization influencing content, drafting educational content, revising or refining educational content, and drafting assessment question(s) and/or rationale(s). All AI-assisted content underwent human review, editing, and validation by qualified faculty and accredited education staff to ensure scientific accuracy, balance, and compliance with the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education.