A Safer Approach To Long-Term Relief From Back Pain

In the quest for pain relief, opioids have become an epidemic in the United States.  While chronic pain is a real issue and patients need real pain relief, there is a delicate balance between treatment and abuse management.

The prevalence of lifetime substance abuse disorders ranges from 36% to 56% in patients treated with opioids for chronic back pain.  Additionally, back surgery has become a booming business over the past decade, with about 800,000 Americans undergoing back surgery each year, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Evidence is mounting that for many patients, surgery is no better at relieving pain than non-invasive care options. Surgeons are now admitting that some patients are even worse off after surgery, leading the profession to coin the term “failed back surgery syndrome.”  Unlike other interventions, back surgery is not reversible, and according to Dr. Steven Atlas, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School who has studied the escalation in back surgery, “….too many surgeons don’t take that kind of time to urge alternatives.”

The good news is that there is a logical, evidence-based approach that may allow individuals to sidestep many of the pitfalls associated with recovering from — or least managing — back pain.

Chiropractic care is fast becoming the first option in providing a drug-free, non-invasive approach to effectively manage back pain.

Learn more in the F4CP white paper – A Safer Approach