Prescriptions of Opioids Pre and Post Back Surgery for McHenry Back Pain, Chiropractic Care May Reduce Rxs and Pain
Opioid use for pain has been a common treatment. Its use is a little too much so as medicine today is even trying to slow its prescription. For back surgery patients, it’s 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. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic would love to be the first healthcare provider McHenry back pain and neck pain patients see and truly embrace the opportunity to care for 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 rush into back surgery. Back pain sufferers often look for help 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 retained one or less opioid prescription prescribers before surgery while 33.1% employed more than one opioid prescribers. The more pre-surgical opioid prescribers in a back surgery patient’s case was a predictor of greater 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 point of the study was that if a nonoperative spine provider was included in the case, a greater improvement in leg pain VAS scores was seen. (1) Chiropractic is a profession of nonoperative spine providers! We chiropractors are prepared and well-trained to help control back pain before and after surgery and give patients an opportunity to lower their opioid use for pain management.
CHIROPRACTIC POST-SURGICAL CARE AND OPIOID USE
For patients who underwent back surgery to find that they experience back pain in the same area that the surgery was supposed to relieve, the return of pain can be vexing. Some got back the medical model and receive new pain medication prescriptions or prolonged prescriptions for the post-surgery meds. Others turn to chiropractic care. A recent 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 participants in the study, 11 entered the study using opioid medications. Eight of them self-reported that they reduced or quit their use. Three said they continued their use. (2) This is hopeful for many post-surgical continued pain patients that pain relief enough to not have to rely on medications may be possible]. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic is McHenry’s post-surgical back pain provider to see for Cox® Technic treatment.
CONTACT OrthoIllinois Chiropractic
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.
Make your McHenry chiropractic appointment soon. If you’ve had back surgery - currently take pain meds, opioids, or not - we look forward to working with you.
