Why Chiropractic or Physical Therapy before Opioids?

Opioid prescriptions have skyrocketed over the last 25 years. Originally they were intended for post surgical patients and those in the end stages of cancer. In 1991 there were around 76 million prescriptions but by 2013 that number had risen to almost 207 million prescriptions.

As prescriptions have risen, so have abuses. According to the CDC more than 1000 people a day are treated in emergency rooms for inappropriate opioid use.  As many as 1 in 4 people using opioids long term struggle with addiction. In 2015 there were nearly 60,000 drug overdose deaths, nearly half of those were from opioid drugs and opioid prescriptions frequently lead to other narcotic abuse. The economic costs of opioid abuse is estimated to be$75 billion a year. On top of all of that, there is no research to suggest that the amount of opioids has had any impact on people suffering from chronic pain. Patients who take opioids for even 1 day have a 6% chance of using them a year later, a 13% chance if they are used more than 8 days and a 30% chance if they are used for a month.

The Joint Commission (the organization that accredits hospitals) has also added chiropractic treatment to its pain management recommendations. The guidelines were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and based on reviews of randomized controlled trials and observational studies, and recommend spinal manipulation, massage and therapeutic exercise as first treatments for low back pain. Multiple studies support manual therapies and exercise to both resolve acute and chronic pain, but also for conditions you might not expect to see a chiropractor or physical therapist for: Parkinson’s, balance disorders, arthritis, and many others.

A typical treatment plan for a chiropractor or a physical therapist costs less than an MRI.  Chiropractors and physical therapists are neuromusculoskeletal experts, and do far more than just pain relief, they create treatment plans that correct problems. You’ll be stronger, have better range of motion, and in general be more functional and be better able to do the things you love and your chance of recurrence will be lower. Do you have pain? Give us a call and see how we can help!