W. Michael Hooten, M.D.

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SUMMARY

The clinical research conducted by W. Michael Hooten, M.D., relates to chronic pain. Dr. Hooten is specifically focused on changes in pain thresholds and tolerances after opioid tapering, the genomics of chronic pain and the effects of smoking on treatment outcomes of chronic pain.

Focus areas

• Alternative methods of pain management, including nonopioid analgesics and nonmedication approaches
• First line treatment agents for concomitant pain and mental health disorders, including serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants and anticonvulsants
• The bidirectional relationship (shared neural mechanisms, for example) between chronic pain and mental health disorders
• Chronic pain and the risk of depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, suicide and cigarette smoking
• The biopsychosocial model of pain
• Determining the risk factors for unintended prolonged opioid use
• Chronic pain-associated alternations in pain perception

Significance to patient care

Knowledge of the clinical characteristics associated with the progression of short-term opioid use to an episodic or long-term pattern of use could aid in the identification of at-risk patients and provide the basis for developing targeted clinical interventions to mitigate the risks of unintended prolonged opioid use.

A deeper understanding of the genetics associated with chronic pain may help enhance identification of individualized therapies.

Professional highlights

• President elect, American Academy of Pain Medicine, 2020-present
• Section co-editor, Pain Medicine, 2020-present
• Editorial board member, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2013-present
• Member, Pain Medicine Examination Committee, American Board of Anesthesiology, 2014-2017