Addressing the Opioid Epidemic with Chiropractic Care

The use of prescription pain medications to treat chronic pain, like low back pain, has contributed to a shocking rise in addiction and overdose deaths over the past two decades. As of 2015, there were over 20,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. and approximately two million Americans suffered from substance abuse or disorder related to prescription pain medication.

That represents a 400% rise in abuse, similar to the percentage rise in prescribed pain killers.

The use of traditional pain medications may actually contribute to worse outcomes for a person with low back pain. Pain medication can mask the severity of a musculoskeletal condition or make the person think their pain has healed. This confusion can lead to increased or prolonged pain, or even serious injury.

The American College of Physicians Clinical Practice Guideline on Low Back Pain recommends conservative, non-drug treatments before attempting to use prescription or drugstore pain medications. One of their recommendations is for patients who experience low back pain to seek chiropractic treatment before trying over-the- counter or prescription medications.

Chiropractic vs. Pain Medication
Research has proven that chiropractic or other conservative (i.e. non-drug) care is effective in treating musculoskeletal pain. In fact, it may even be more effective, specifically in the treatment of low back pain.

Patients experiencing chronic low back pain who visited a chiropractor reported increased improvement and reported that they felt better or much better than patients who visited family physicians (56% vs 13%). Additionally, 94% of patients who received manual-thrust manipulation (a form of chiropractic care) reported a significant reduction in pain after 4 weeks, compared to 54% of patients who received traditional medical care.

Chiropractic and other non-invasive solutions may also contribute to lowered rates of opioid addiction and abuse. Chiropractic patients who were prescribed prescription pain killers were 55% less likely to fill their prescription, and the overall use of opioids to treat pain was significantly lower in patients who got chiropractic care. Additionally, patients who sought chiropractic care after a work-related back injury were 30 times less likely to require surgery. This difference represents a major decrease in spending and cost for patients who use non- invasive treatments like chiropractic.

Changing the Pain-management Landscape
The use of non-invasive, conservative approaches to pain management is supported not only by the American Chiropractic Association, but also the Federal Drug Administration, The Joint Commission, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the State Attorneys General. However, for a shift from traditional medicine to conservative solutions to happen broadly, both general knowledge and legislation needs to change.

The American Chiropractic Association met in Washington D.C. in 2016 to discuss guidelines and propose a plan to address the opioid abuse.

The resulting policy recommendations were:

1. The investigation of non-pharmacologic interventions for pain treatment across a variety
of patient populations and healthcare delivery setting

2. The promotion of evidence-based non-pharmacologic therapies within best practice
models for pain management

3. The improvement of access to providers of non-pharmacologic therapies

4. Interprofessional education to augment the training of pain management teams

5. And public health campaigns to raise awareness of drug-free treatment options for pain
syndromes

What Can You Do?
If you experience chronic (or any) low-back pain, investigate your non-invasive options for relief, including chiropractic. Chiropractic pain management may even be covered by your insurance. Also, importantly, share this information with friends and relatives who experience pain. Who knows? You could save someone from a potential addiction or increased future pain.

For questions about chiropractic care, or to schedule an appointment, contact Kennedy Chiropractic by phone at (414) 443-1515. We successfully treat hundreds of satisfied patients each year and are conveniently located in Wauwatosa.

Sources
Chiropractic: A Drug-Free Approach to Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain (report), American Chiropractic Association