Effectiveness of Opioids for Pain Control is Questionable while Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation is Recommended
Opioids. They’re in the news. La Grande doesn’t escape the opioid issue. Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC knows some La Grande chiropractic patients with La Grande back pain struggle with opioids that were, at some point, prescribed to help them cope with their back pain and now desire to be off of them. Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC gets it and is prepared to help La Grande back pain sufferers find relief without opioid drugs. The effectiveness of opioid drugs for control of La Grande back pain is questioned while spinal manipulation such as offered at Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC is suggested.
WHY OPIOIDS FOR BACK PAIN
Low back pain overwhelms a back pain patient’s life. It’s no wonder that a back pain sufferer desires a pill to get rid of the pain, a La Grande back surgery to get rid of the pain’s cause now. Occasionally it’s not that simple: the pill may have unwanted effects or the positive effects may not last very long; the surgery relief may not continue or resulted in an unexpected outcome. Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC appreciates the role of drugs for pain relief when needed, respects the part back surgery plays in a La Grande back pain sufferer’s journey toward pain relief and a better quality of life. Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC also offers complementary care to those back pain relief options and, for some La Grande back pain sufferers, back surgery prevention as well as post-back surgery rehab and La Grande back pain relief.
OPIOIDS’ ROLE IN BACK PAIN RELIEF
A recent Cochrane data review of randomized clinical trials on the effectiveness of opioids and other drugs for chronic low back pain concluded that the effectiveness is not very good. Opioids’ effects on pain reduction and function improvement are small to moderate and brief versus placebo. The side effects, serious ones for those who use strong opioids for a long time, were common. (1) Some patients react better to drug therapies than others. Researchers found it hard to figure out just how effective drugs like oxycodone and clobazam and imipramine will be for which chronic low back pain patient. (2) Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC figures out each La Grande back pain patient who seeks for La Grande chiropractic care and establishes the suitable treatment plan to get some back pain relief.
OPIOIDS AND BACK SURGERY
Patients opt for back surgery often expecting quick pain relief that will negate the need for pain control drugs. Researchers checked into this idea and found that many back pain sufferers who were took opioids before surgery expected that surgery would fix the problem and not have to take opioids anymore. Reality shows that of 2491 adults who underwent lumbar fusion back surgery, 1045 needed long-term opioids before surgery, and 1094 needed opioids subsequently. Of the pre-operative opioid patients, 77.1% continued taking them long-term, 13.8% occasionally, and just 9.1% discontinued or consumed them short-term afterward. 34.4% continued with a lower dose, but 44.8% did so with a higher dose. Of those who did not take any opioids before back surgery, 12.8% became long-term users. What was the bottom line? What do patients need to know who are considering La Grande back surgery as the ultimate solution to their La Grande back pain? Lumbar fusion back surgery seldom ended the long-term opioid use and heightened the risk of starting their use afterwards. Patient expectations of pain reduction and opioid use reduction need to be reevaluated. (3)
ALTERNATIVES TO OPIOIDS FOR BACK PAIN RELIEF
CONTACT Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
Schedule you La Grande chiropractic appointment today with Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC. Opioids aren’t the only way to deal with La Grande back pain, particularly La Grande chronic low back pain. Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC offers hope for chronic low back pain relief to La Grande back pain sufferers wanting to avoid or escape the opioid epidemic.
