Pain Management & Opioid Misuse Learning Collaborative - Session 3: Muscular-Skeletal Pain Management in a Farmworker Population

We are pleased to offer this special series to clinicians working with Community Health Partnership of Illinois. These three sessions will provide important information and give you an opportunity to have a more in-depth discussion about these critical issues when working with agricultural workers and other underserved populations experiencing pain.
Although agricultural workers are not to date, at high risk for opioid misuse, they do experience a disproportionate amount of musculoskeletal pain due to the arduous nature of the work that they do. Musculoskeletal pain develops from repeated exposures and cumulative forces may cause soft tissue damage, leading to inflammatory response and pain. Long-term exposure to heavy physical work, heavy lifting and carrying, whole-body vibration, and work in awkward postures with trunk flexion may be risk factors for low back pain. Kneeling, bending, heavy lifting and carrying, vibrations from tractor driving and work in uncomfortable postures cause a number of musculoskeletal difficulties. This session will explore some of the common musculoskeletal challenges for farmworkers with a discussion of how to better address pain in a primary care setting.