MANUAL MEDICINE WORLDWIDE 2023
Lecture 8
The importance of diagnosing myofascial pain in the primary care setting as a means of preventing chronic pain
- Dr. Alexandre Fortes
Musculoskeletal Medicine
Family Medicine
Author of Musculoskeletal Medicine courses
Teacher of Pain Treatment
BRAZIL
Abstract
Chronic pain is perhaps the leading cause of pain worldwide. Myofascial pain is one of the most common causes of chronic pain in primary care. Training primary care practitioners on the diagnosis and treatment of myofascial pain has proven to be an effective public health decision which may lead to the prevention of the escalation of chronic pain. To avoid central sensitization of pain due to long lasting painful stimulation, it is vital that every patient with myofascial pain be correctly diagnosed on their first consultation and properly treated. To achieve this goal, there must be greater concern in training programs especially for the primary care physicians.
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Curriculum
2002 Graduate in Medical School in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2002-2005 Emergency department at Miguel Couto County Hospital, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2006-2008 Residency in Rio de Janeiro State University, Brazil
During this period I published a book on cardiac arrest and cardiac emergencies and trained a lot of students in the County Hospitial as well as in the Rio de Janeiro State University during my residency years.
Afterwords I was invited to write chapters of the Textbook of Brazilian Family Medicine (knee pain) and subsequently I was called upon to lecture for the first time in the National Brazilian congress of Family Medicine in 2011.
Since 2011 I lectured in every following national congress as a guest speaker until the Covid pandemic.
2017 Invitation to lecture in the WONCA congress (World Family Medicine Congress) in Rio de Janairo, Brazil
Since 2010 Teacher for primary care physicians. Continuous upgrades of the course ever since. I have travelled in all major states of Brazil teaching and spreading the word on the importance of Musculoskeletal Medicine in our practice.
2014 Winner of a contest called "Best Practices" in Florianpolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
2019 Awarded with the price "Leader in Research and Health Sciences for the Benefit of Humanity Award" by SIISDET (Sociedad Internacional en Investigación Salud, desarollo empresarial y Tecnologias)
2019-2021 (during the covid pandemic) Subdirector and Coordinator of the Brazilian Provision Program of the National Family Medicine Department of the Brazilian Ministry of Health
I also work at a Family Medice Ofice in Florianopolis County where I tutor interns from Santa Catarina Federal University