How to Stop Taking Pain Medication
Increased Recognition of the Value of Non-drug Approaches to Pain:
Inadequate pain management coupled with the epidemic of prescription opioid overuse and abuse has taken a severe toll on the lives of tens of thousands of people in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as one in four patients who receive prescription opioids long term for non-cancer pain in primary care settings struggles with addiction. Every day, thousands of people are treated in the ER for misusing prescription opioids.
Beyond the risks of addiction and overdose, prescription drugs that numb pain may convince a patient that a musculoskeletal condition is less severe than it is, or that it has healed. This misunderstanding can lead to overexertion, a delay in the healing process, or even permanent injury. Chiropractic and other non-drug approaches to pain management can be an important first line of defense against pain and addiction resulting from the overuse of prescription opioid pain medications.
There is a growing body of research that validates the effectiveness of chiropractic services, leading many respected health care organizations to recommend chiropractic and its non-drug approach to pain management. Most notably, the American College of Physicians(ACP) updated its guidelines for the treatment of acute and chronic low back pain in 2017 to recommend first using non-invasive, non-drug treatments before resorting to drug therapies. ACP’s guidelines, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and based on a review of randomized controlled trials and observational studies, cite heat therapy, massage, acupuncture and spinal manipulation (a centerpiece of chiropractic care) as possible options for non-invasive, non-drug therapies for low back pain. Only when such treatments provide little or no relief, the guidelines state, should patients move on to medicines such as ibuprofen or muscle relaxants, which research indicates have limited pain-relief effects. According to the guidelines, prescription opioids should be a last resort for those suffering from low back pain, as the risk of addiction and overdose may outweigh the benefits.
In addition:
A Commonsense Strategy:
The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) encourages patients and health care providers to first exhaust non-drug forms of pain management, when appropriate, before moving on to riskier, potentially addictive treatments such as opioids. To this end, ACA delegates adopted a policy statement in 2016 proposing a solution to the dual public health concerns of inadequate pain management and opioid abuse. ACA’s policy statement supports:
No matter what your concerns, we invite you to call our Midtown Sacramento Chiropractic Office, The Healing Touch Chiropractic, at 916-447-3344 for a FREE consultation regarding your condition. We have our own free parking just outside our door and convenient office hours Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm. At our office, the consultation is always FREE. So, there’s no obligation to sit down with one of our doctors and discuss your specific chiropractic questions with zero obligations. Please don’t hesitate to call and set up a consultation today.