Sensory Outcomes in Active Substance Users

The objective for this research are: 1. Assess differences in pain reception in patients with existing or previous opioid use disorder versus controls after elective spine surgery via pain questionnaires at multiple time points during the perioperative care. 2. Assess circulating immune signatures and neuropeptides associated with pain signaling before and after surgery in patients with and without OUD using flow cytometry and ELISA of patient serum. 3. Assess molecular signatures of dermal cells and nerve endings patients with and without OUD using spatial transcriptomics on epidermis- and dermis-containing tissue samples from surgical incision.