Opioid Pain Control Drugs like Opioids: Are They Effective for Back Pain?
Opioids are in the news. The Vancouver opioid epidemic is a great worry. Opioids are prescribed for pain relief of all types of pain. Opioids for back pain relief are common. But today, non-drug alternatives are wanted. Non-drug alternative care like Vancouver chiropractic care lessens the Vancouver back pain these opioids have been prescribed for and often devoid of bad side-effects.
DRUG USE BEFORE BACK SURGERY
Pharmacological treatment options – drugs – for easing chronic low back pain are of much interest today. Researchers scrutinize these and other alternatives as to what is best to help Vancouver back pain patients. The effect of drugs like oxycodone (an opioid drug), clobazam and imipramine on chronic low back pain are difficult to predict. One article suggested that patients who are more sensitive to hot and cold respond better to imipramine. (1) Another described that electroacupuncture proved to be more cost effective than NSAIDs and suggested as an alternative for chronic low back pain treatment. (2) A third wrote that most drugs - paracetamol (acetaminophen), NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, opioids, and other (new) drugs - offered small to moderate and short lasting effects compared with placebo. And there were side-effects. (3) Vancouver Disc Centers cares for many Vancouver back pain sufferers seeking pain relief without drugs. And the Vancouver chiropractic care is helpful for most.
DRUG USE AFTER BACK SURGERY
Vancouver chronic low back pain leads some sufferers to lumbar spine fusion surgery. Patients who go this route to deal with their back pain often take opioids prior to surgery hoping – even expecting – that they will not require opioids after the surgery. Reality is different. 77.1% of pre-operative opioid patients continued to use opioids long-term post-operatively: 13.8% of them took opioids off and off; 9.1% discontinued using them or took them for a short time after surgery. Of patients who hadn’t used opioids before surgery, 34.4% used a lower dose after surgery, and 44.8% took a higher long-term dose. 12.8% became long-term users of opioids. The researchers inferred that lumbar spine fusion hardly ever stopped the long-term opioid use and actually increased the risk of taking them long-term. (4) Vancouver Disc Centers offers Vancouver chiropractic care both pre-operatively and post-operatively to manage Vancouver back pain and for some prevent Vancouver back surgery.
OPTIONS TO DRUGS FOR BACK PAIN
What are the options for Vancouver back pain patients if opioids are to be avoided? Guidelines have been developed for opioid alternatives. Cost, intervention availability, and patient preferences are considered. One of the first things to do is educate and reassure the patient that Vancouver back pain relief is possible and to remain active. The Vancouver low back pain sufferer can learn more about how to care for pain on their own. For acute low back pain and neck pain patients who don’t have any serious underlying issue, exercise, manual therapy, heat and NSAIDs are recommended. For chronic low back pain sufferers who do not present with serious underlying issues, exercise, yoga, cognitive behavioral therapy, acupuncture, biofeedback, relaxation, massage, manual therapy, rehab, NSAIDS, acetaminophen and antidepressants are suggested. Patients with radiculopathy (sciatic leg pain) can use exercise, spinal manipulation, or NSAIDS. Benzodiazepines, botulinum toxin injection, systemic corticosteroids, cervical collar, electrical muscle stimulation, diathermy, TENS and traction are not recommended due to research revealing uselessness. (5) Vancouver Disc Centers offers Vancouver chiropractic care including Cox Technic flexion distraction decompression treatment that is research-documented to be successful for Vancouver back pain relief.
CONTACT Vancouver Disc Centers
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Roy Siegel on the Back Doctor’s Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he shares how Cox Technic relieves back pain for his performing arts patients without drugs so they can continue performing!
Schedule your Vancouver chiropractic appointment with Vancouver Disc Centers today. The opioid epidemic may be curbed for Vancouver back pain sufferers who come for Vancouver chiropractic care at Vancouver Disc Centers…and chiropractic may become the opioid-alternative news!
