Opioid use for pain has
been a customary treatment. Its use is a little too much so 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 still receive opioid prescriptions from their healthcare providers. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries
would love to be the first healthcare provider Manchester
back pain and neck pain patients see 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 they had
surgery. 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 look for relief 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 employed 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 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 note to the study was that if a nonoperative
spine provider was included in the case, a better 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 reduce their opioid use for pain management.
CHIROPRACTIC POST-SURGICAL CARE AND OPIOID USE
For patients who underwent back surgery
and 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 extended
prescriptions for the post-surgery meds. Others seek 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) stated that of the 59 patients
in the study, 11 came into the study with
opioid medications. Eight of them self-reported that they lowered
or quit their use. Three said they maintained
their use. (2) This is hopeful for many post-surgical continued
pain patients that not having to take pain meds as the only way
to pain relief may be possible. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries is Manchester’s post-surgical
back pain provider to see for Cox® Technic treatment.
CONTACT Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries
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 Manchester chiropractic
appointment now. If you’ve had
back surgery, currently using pain meds, opioids,
or not, we look forward to working with you.