The use of opioid pain medication for pain has
been a common treatment. Its use is a little too much so as medicine today is even attempting to scale back on its
prescription. For back surgery patients, it has been quite common,
both before and/or after back surgery. Though today the use of opioids is being
less encouraged, many back pain sufferers find
themselves with opioid prescriptions from their healthcare providers. New Roads Chiropractic Center
would love to be the first healthcare provider New Roads
back pain and neck pain patients see and truly welcome
the opportunity to take care of the post-surgical continued pain
patients - with or without opioid prescriptions - who come to us with the same
or returned pain in the same spinal area where their surgery was. We are have the skills to
help.
BACK SURGERY OUTCOME PREDICTORS: # of Rx Prescribers and #
of Rx Prescriptions
Very few hurry into back surgery. Back pain sufferers
often seek care from various healthcare
providers before surgery is considered and/or scheduled. 66.9%
of patients in a retrospective study of patients who experienced
single-level fusion surgeries had one or less opioid prescription
prescribers before surgery while 33.1% retained more than
one opioid prescribers. The more pre-surgical opioid prescribers in a back surgery
patient’s case was a predictor of increased improvement of
post-surgical back pain. The more pre-surgical opioid prescriptions a patient had
was a predictor for poorer surgical outcomes including lower
improvement in back VAS pain scores, leg VAS pain scores, Oswestry Disability
Index scores, and for more post-surgical opioid prescriptions, prescribers, and
morphine milligram equivalents. An interesting and
seemingly side note to the study was that if a nonoperative
spine provider was involved in the case, an increased improvement in leg pain VAS scores was seen. (1)
Chiropractic is a profession of nonoperative spine providers! We chiropractors
are ready and well-trained to help manage
back pain before and after surgery and give patients a chance
to reduce their opioid use for pain management.
CHIROPRACTIC POST-SURGICAL CARE AND OPIOID USE
For patients who went through back surgery
and find that they have the same pain in the back area that the surgery was supposed to relieve, the return of pain
can be vexing. Some got back the medical
model and get new pain medication prescriptions or extended
prescriptions for the post-surgery meds. Others turn to chiropractic
care. A new study of such patients who turned to chiropractic
care with chiropractors who are certified in Cox® Technic spinal manipulation (manual
spinal decompression manipulation) reported that of the 59 patients
in the study, 11 came into the study with
opioid medications. Eight of them self-reported that they reduced
or discontinued their use. Three said they maintained
their use. (2) This holds hope for many post-surgical continued
pain patients that pain relief enough to not have to rely
on medications may be possible]. New Roads Chiropractic Center is New Roads’s post-surgical
back pain provider to visit for Cox® Technic treatment.
CONTACT New Roads Chiropractic Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Marc Baker on The Back
Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he shares his
use of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management in delivering relief
for a military veteran with back pain after back surgery.
Schedule your New Roads chiropractic
appointment now. If you’ve undergone
back surgery, currently taking pain meds, opioids,
or not, we look forward to seeing and helping
you.