Defense & Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management Publication

Despite tremendous advances in battlefield medical treatment, pain management has changed very little since the Civil War, with morphine being the primary medication used for pain control. Today, with an unprecedented number of wounded personnel surviving their injuries, managing pain has become a major issue for military health care providers.

Now, an acute pain specialist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) is spearheading a movement to transform the military’s approach to pain. Lieutenant Colonel Chester “Trip” Buckenmaier, III, M.D., chief of the Army Regional Anesthesia & Pain Management Initiative (ARAPMI) and president of the tri-service Military Advanced Regional Anesthesia and Analgesia (MARAA) initiative.