Did you know a study in the 12-18-18 Journal of the American Medical Association Network evaluated opioids for chronic pain? Considering the death toll of the opioid crisis it is shocking to see the results of their effectiveness.
This study analyzed 96 clinical trials and found that they made a small difference for people with conditions such as fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, and sciatica. It was found that 12% more patients saw a “noticeable” difference in their pain in comparison to placebo. The benefits were even smaller when it came to patients physical functioning and sleep quality.
The modest benefit came at a high cost of side effects with the most common being nausea, vomiting, constipation, and drowsiness, but let’s not forget addiction.
The lead researcher Jason Busse, of the Institute for Pain Research and Care at McMaster University, in Canada, stated that “chronic pain is complex and has different roots, but there is no evidence opioids work well for any particular form”.
A study in the 5-13-19 Canadian Medical Association Journal found that initial prescriptions for opioids were down 54% but high-risk prescriptions meaning high dosage and longer term were still high. These would be the chronic patients.
The American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Physicians, and the British Medical Journal all recommend manipulation for chronic lower back pain. Manipulation is also recommended for neck pain.
If you know someone that is suffering and thinks that opioids are there only choice because “they have tried everything else”, send them this newsletter. There are approximately 200 different techniques for delivering manipulation, so when they said that they went to a Chiropractor and it did not work have them call me. They can schedule a phone consultation at no charge and we can find out if they are a good candidate for a different technique.