Opioids. Back Pain. Treatment Options. Chiropractic has a role
in managing and easing pain that should not be overlooked.
Primary care physicians do not
feel much confidence treating
musculoskeletal pain. (1) Family practitioners are the leading
prescribers of opioids. (2) Meanwhile, who takes care of 40% of
pain patients? Chiropractors! (1) Your Groton chiropractor at Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
treats many pain patients and relieves a good deal of Groton back pain often exclusive of opioids.
STATISTICS ON OPIOIDS FOR PAIN
The following stats are based
on a large study of 478,981 newly diagnosed, “opiate-naïve”
patients who begin utilizing opiates for pain relief. (2)
- 40.4% of pain patients obtained
opioid prescriptions initially within a year of pain but only 4% met the requirement for
long-term use.
- Family practice doctors are the most common
first prescribers of opiates for pain whose risk of prescribing these early in
the pain process is 24.4% while those patients then have a 2% risk of long-term,
continued opiate use.
- Patients who seek care from emergency
medicine doctors (43.1%) or urgent care facility (40.8%) are most likely to be prescribed opiates early in their pain cycle.
- Patients diagnosed initially by a pain
management doctor or physical medicine and rehab provider have a
higher risk of long-term opioid use by 6.7% and 3.4%, respectively.
Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office invites pain patients to seek
Groton chiropractic care sooner than later!
PHYSICIANS WHO TREAT PAIN
Primary care physicians (52%), pain physicians (2%),
chiropractors (40%), acupuncturists (7%) doctor
chronic pain patients. Primary care physicians are the least likely
physicians to feel confident treating musculoskeletal and neuropathic
pain. (1) Chiropractors like yours at Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office confidently offer
non-drug management and/or co-management with other healthcare
personnel for the pain relief and pain control for Groton back
pain patients.
CHIROPRACTIC’S PLACE IN PAIN CARE
Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office speculates why
chiropractors aren’t more immediately thought of
in the process for Groton pain relief, particularly
Groton back pain relief. Chiropractic services intergrate
spinal manipulation (one of the highest recommended forms
of care for back pain by the American Pain Society and the American College of
Physicians (3)), exercise, and nutrition. What stops some
medical doctors from considering nutrition? A recent article states the reason
in its title: “Nutrition: Push For Doctors To Learn Nutrition: Many Graduate
Without Training.” It also notes that patients believe
their medical doctor knows about nutrition. (4) And that is ok if
healthcare professionals coordinated care sharing their expertise, recognizing that each
has a role in the care of the pain patient and has the best welfare
of the patient fundamentally. Chiropractors are well skilled in non-surgical and non-drug care of pain, back
pain, and spine pain.
COORDINATING CARE
Recognizing that a healthcare provider’s
profession effects his/her treatment recommendations,
guidelines for Groton back pain patient care are established
to try to apply the expertise maximally.
Interdisciplinary care challenges differences among professions and their
recommendation standards so that a patient gets a consistent
therapy message with up-to-date treatment guidelines. Activity messages
do differ by profession though: nurses were more restrictive in
their recommendations of activity; physicians were more aligned
with guidelines; physiotherapists recommended much more activity but less work
activity than physicians. (5) Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office works with other
local Groton healthcare providers for patient care, appreciating
their expertise and contribution to Groton
back pain patients’ return to activities that they like to do.
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
Schedule a Groton chiropractic appointment with
Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office for interdisciplinary care of your pain. Your
Groton chiropractor is willing and able to
work with fellow Groton healthcare providers and to give you options on managing your back pain beyond and/or
alongside opioid drug care.