Consider chiropractic as a frontline treatment to reduce opioid use
Consider Chiropractic as a Frontline Treatment to Reduce Opioid Use
Roughly, more than 2 million Americans are dependent on opioids. For most people, their addiction started from seeking medical intervention for an injury or chronic condition, such as back or knee pain. According to the CDC, more than 130 people die every day from opioid use in the US. With this rapid increase in opioid addiction and death, health care professionals and the government are frantically searching for alternatives to alleviating chronic pain to combat the epidemic. One of those alternatives is chiropractic care.
“Preventing opioid addiction and overdose continues to be a significant public health priority; and as part of a strategy to lessen opioid use, clinical guidelines now recommend many non-pharmacological options to be considered as front-line treatment ahead of any medication,” lead author Kelsey L. Corcoran, of Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, told Medscape Medical News. “Chiropractors provide many of the treatments included in the clinical guidelines for the initial treatment of low back pain, neck pain, and osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, and hand.”
Many people develop these dangerous addictions to prescription drugs originally prescribed to them by their doctors. However, opioids are not the only option for seeking a chiropractor. Not only can chiropractic care provide patients with pain relief, it can also help in reducing the negative effects of the opioid epidemic in our society.
Chiropractic is a drug-free approach to relieving pain. The American College of Physicians (ACP) recommends the use of non-invasive, drug-free treatments such as chiropractic care, first for chronic and acute lower back pain. “Physicians should consider opioids as a last option for treatment and only in patients who have failed other therapies, as they are associated with substantial harms, including the risk of addiction or accidental overdose,” said Nitin S. Damle, president of ACP.
Why are we continuing down the same destructive path of masking pain with over-the-counter and prescription opioids? It’s time to make a change. People of all ages should take a serious look at the potentially life-changing benefits of chiropractic care.
In most cases, chiropractic may not only relieve your pain, it may even help you avoid or delay a costly surgery. With chiropractic treatment, it is less invasive and disruptive to your life, has less complications and a much lower risk associated with treatment compared to surgery and costs much less. It can also help avoid the use of dangerous opioids typically prescribed following surgery to manage pain.
Chiropractic care helps achieve this by balancing the relationship between structure and function as the body heals. Compared to conventional treatment options, it offers several benefits including:
- Quicker patient recovery times
- Usually cheaper
- No harmful side effects
- Significant improvement in pain symptoms
So why aren’t more Americans seeking chiropractic care as a treatment option? One reason is old myths or ideas created to keep patients tied to the traditional medical treatments. Luckily, more and more physicians and medical organizations are recognizing chiropractic as a major contributor to overall health and wellness. For more information about chiropractic, visit www.naturalspinesolutions.com
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Dr. Wayne M. Fichter Jr. is a chiropractor at Natural Spine Solutions. The business is located at 3913 Schreiber Way in Coeur d’Alene and the phone number is 208-966-4425.