Many in the United States suffer from musculoskeletal problems like neck pain, low back pain and osteoarthritis of the hip, knee and hand. One path of the treatment is for physicians to prescribe opioids for these types of conditions. However, there is a natural, safe alternative to taking possible dangerous drugs. Recent research has shown that chiropractic care for musculoskeletal pain is a viable substitute for opioid medications. This article will discuss the dangers of opioids, research detailing chiropractic care is an alternative and how chiropractic treatment can be utilized for musculoskeletal disorders.
Nearly everyone in the United States is aware that we have in opioid addiction problem. Opioid medications are numerous. Percocet, OxyContin and Vicodin are several of the most common prescribed. When these drugs were developed, they were solely meant to be given for the most grievous cases of pain management. Intractable pain after surgery and those suffering from pain from incurable cancer were thought to be the only times these pharmaceuticals would be prescribed. However, some nefarious drugmakers and distributors of opioids put out a false narrative to the medical community stating that opioids were safe for lesser types of pain. These pharmaceutical companies are now being sued by states across the US, producing thousands of lawsuits and resulting in opioid producers considering bankruptcy under the weight of court cases.
The misinformation produced by these illicit drug makers has led to many patients becoming addicted to the narcotic effects of opioid medications. Unfortunately, many others have died from overdose due to addiction. Almost all of us know of someone or some family who is suffering from deleterious effects of opioid medications.
As stated earlier, a promising alternative to opioids has been recognized. Medscape Medical News has reported research revealing that “patients who visited a chiropractor for a musculoskeletal pain condition were 49% less likely to receive opioid prescriptions than their counterparts who went to other healthcare providers.” These findings were presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine 2019 annual meeting. After reviewing the available literature on chiropractic care vs. opioid prescribing, researchers selected studies with a total of 62,000 patients to include in the analysis. Lead author, Kelsey Corcoran, DC, VA Connecticut Healthcare System and Yale Center for Medical Informatics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven noted: “chiropractors provide many treatments included in the clinical guidelines for the initial treatment of low back pain, neck pain, and osteoarthritis of the hip, knee and hand.” He further stated: “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 nonpharmacological options to be considered as frontline treatment ahead of any medication.”
Chiropractic care focuses on establishing normal alignment and movement of the joints of the body, especially the spinal bones. The majority of people suffering from neck and back pain have misalignments and improper movement of the vertebrae. Chiropractic care focuses on correcting improper alignment and movement in the spine. This helps the majority of people suffering from neck and back pain conditions. Chiropractic care is safe, gentle and extremely viable option to the prescription dangerous opioid medications.