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 trying to slow 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 supported, many back pain sufferers find
themselves with opioid prescriptions from their healthcare providers. Amelia Chiropractic Clinic
would love to be the first healthcare provider Fernandina Beach
back pain and neck pain patients visit and truly welcome
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’re prepared to
help.
BACK SURGERY OUTCOME PREDICTORS: # of Rx Prescribers and #
of Rx Prescriptions
Very few rush 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 underwent
single-level fusion surgeries retained 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 used
was a predictor for poorer surgical outcomes including poorer
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 included 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 contrain
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
and find that they have the same pain in the back area that the surgery was supposed to fix, 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 seek chiropractic
care. A recent study of such patients who sought 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 entered 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 depend
on medications may be possible]. Amelia Chiropractic Clinic is Fernandina Beach’s post-surgical
back pain provider to see for Cox® Technic treatment.
CONTACT Amelia Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Marc Baker on The Back
Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes 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 Fernandina Beach chiropractic
appointment today. If you have had
back surgery, currently taking pain meds, opioids,
or not, we are looking forward to working with you.