Prescription opioid dependence is associated with poorer outcomes in disabling spinal disorders.

Study Design: Prospective outcomes study involving patients with chronic disabling occupational spinal disorders (CDOSD) diagnosed with (n = 199) or without (n = 1124) postinjury opioid-dependence disorder (ODD), based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-fourth edition cirteria.

Objective: To determine whether prescription opioid dependence, assessed at the beginning of rehabilitation treatment, is associated with poorer treatment outcomes in patients with CDOSDs attending an interdisciplinary rehabilitation program.

Summary Of Background Data: Controversy exists regarding the risk of iatrogenic ODD and treatment outcomes when long-term opioid therapy is used in the treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain conditions.