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Abstract
For former National Football League player Kerry Schmidt, BA, MBA, chronic pain is a part of everyday life. To repair sports-related trauma sustained during his 6-year career as a defensive back, Schmidt has undergone 24 major orthopedic surgeries over the past three decades and will undergo two or three additional procedures to repair his lower back. Now a sports reporter, a syndicated sports columnist, and a business owner, Schmidt says his pain at times has rated as 10-plus on a 10-point pain scale. Schmidt recently took control of his constant discomfort. After he consulted with Jack P. McNulty, MD, FACP, a specialist in the management of chronic pain, who collaborated with George B. Muller, RPh, a compounding pharmacist, Schmidt found relief with no adverse effects from the seldom-prescribed drug levorphanol.
Introduction
More than 30 years after Kerry Schmidt retired from professional football, the physical stress of rigorous competition continues to take its toll.
"I've been in pain 24/7 ever since I quit playing football in 1973," said Schmidt, who is 61. "Seven of my surgeries repaired damage caused by my being 'speared' during a game, and all but one of my orthopedic injuries have been sports related. Over time, my bones haven't gotten any stronger. Until recently, the combination of injury and aging made the level of constant pain that I live with average about 6.5 on a standard pain scale.
"I'm averse to taking narcotics," said Schmidt. "Although the surgeries improved some of the pain, at one point I was taking 20 or 30 Advil (ibuprofen) tablets per day, and that provided only minimal relief. I decided that I wanted a physician specialist (not just a doctor who would give me pain pills) to manage my medication regimen and oversee its results. Both my orthopedic surgeon and my cardiologist recommended Dr. McNulty very highly. Before I started treatment as his patient 7 months ago, the pain in my back, hips, neck, knee, right wrist, and ankles would be extreme by the day's end, and it was getting worse over time. Everyday activities like climbing the stairs or getting dressed were becoming progressively more difficult. Constant pain really, really wears on you."
Jack McNulty conferred with Schmidt's surgeons and physicians, examined him,...