The opioid pain medication addiction rate in the US is only going up which means that researchers are constantly analyzing data to search for an alternative in managing chronic musculoskeletal pain. Research into opioid addiction New York estimates that about 50 percent of adults are affected by musculoskeletal pain, which results in a cost of about 874 billion dollars. The Journal of the American Medical Association recently looked at data from insurance claims from 2007-2015 to analyze the benefits of opioid medication for pain, or early physical therapy.
The study found that the patients getting physical therapy within 30 days of their noticement of musculoskeletal low back pain, shoulder, and knee pain had relations to a 5-10 percent reduction in the usage of opioids. This study proves that using early physical therapy could potentially drastically reduce the use of opioid medications and even lessen the percentage of Americans addicted to the drug.
Even though there have been many other alternatives to opioids, this alternative has been the first to be studied over a long period of time with the amount of insurance claims it had. These studies in finding solutions to opioid addiction New York is one of the main reasons that doctors can see that physical therapy is a great, non addictive treatment that has comparative results to a highly dangerous drug.
Bring up this study on alternatives to opioid addiction New York, along with other evidence based studies when discussing treatment options with your physician. Taking a pill that makes your pain go away seems like the easiest option, but the risks that come with this method outweigh the benefits greatly. All of the benefits opioid medications have can certainly be matched and even improved with early physical therapy. Trying physical therapy first is a great, non addictive alternative.
While we have a multitude of treatments at Back and Body, we can also prescribe pain killing drugs at appropriate times. For example, if it is too painful to undergo physical therapy normally, then an opioid may be necessary in the short term to bring pain levels down to allow the corrective therapy to occur. And once therapy has helped fix the problem, medication will no longer be needed.
If you have any questions, please contact us, we would be happy to help you. Our treatment solutions are based on your needs, your pain problems and as we are a multi-disciplined practice, we consult with one another to formulate the best treatment plan for you.
In pain? Want a tune up? Call us today (908) 325 – 3000. We can treat and help you.
