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

Opioid use for pain has been a familiar 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 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. Minster Chiropractic Center would enjoy being the first healthcare provider Minster back pain and neck pain patients visit and truly embrace 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 their surgery was. We are 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 underwent single-level fusion surgeries had one or less opioid prescription prescribers before surgery while 33.1% had 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 used was a predictor for poorer surgical outcomes including worse 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 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 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 frustrating. 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) stated that of the 59 participants in the study, 11 came into 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 pain relief enough to not have to rely on medications may be possible]. Minster Chiropractic Center is Minster’s post-surgical back pain provider to see for Cox® Technic treatment.

CONTACT Minster Chiropractic Center

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

Minster chiropractic care to ease 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."