What is the role of pain physicians in the opioid epidemic?

Abstract

A 35-year-old male construction worker presents to his family physician a week after ‘tweaking’ his back while on the job. He has some lumbar back pain bilaterally, but what really concerns him is the pain that goes down his right thigh, crosses his knee, and goes down to his toes. He denies any bowel or bladder dysfunction, saddle anesthesia, or new focal neurologic deficits.