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Prescriptions of Opioids Pre and Post Back Surgery for Carrolltown Back Pain, Chiropractic Care May Reduce Rxs and Pain

The use of opioid pain medication for pain has been a common treatment. Its use is a little too common as medicine today is even attempting to scale back on 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 supported, many back pain sufferers still receive opioid prescriptions from their healthcare providers. Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation would enjoy being the first healthcare provider Carrolltown back pain and neck pain patients visit 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 they had surgery. We’re ready 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 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 attention-getting and seemingly side point of the study was that if a nonoperative spine provider was involved 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 ready and well-trained to help contrain back pain before and after surgery and give patients a chance to lower their opioid use for pain management. 

CHIROPRACTIC POST-SURGICAL CARE AND OPIOID USE

For patients who underwent 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 frustrating. Some got back the medical model and get new pain medication prescriptions or extended prescriptions for the post-surgery meds. Others seek 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 holds hope for many post-surgical continued pain patients that not having to take pain meds as the only way to pain relief may be possible. Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation is Carrolltown’s post-surgical back pain provider to visit for Cox® Technic treatment.

CONTACT Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation

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 Carrolltown chiropractic appointment soon. If you have undergone back surgery, currently take pain meds, opioids, or not, we are looking forward to seeing and helping you.

Carrolltown chiropractic care to reduce pain after back surgery and potentially patient choice to use opioids 
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"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."