Prescriptions of Opioids Pre and Post Back Surgery for New York City Back Pain, Chiropractic Care May Reduce Rxs and Pain
Opioid use for pain has been a customary treatment. Its use is a little too much so as medicine today is even attempting 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 encouraged, many back pain sufferers still receive opioid prescriptions from their healthcare providers. Rosenberg Wellness Center would enjoy being the first healthcare provider New York City 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 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 contemplated 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 used 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 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 manage 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 to 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 return to the medical model and receive new pain medication prescriptions or prolonged prescriptions for the post-surgery meds. Others turn to 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 discontinued their use. Three said they continued their use. (2) This is hopeful for many post-surgical continued pain patients that pain relief enough to not have to depend on medications may be possible]. Rosenberg Wellness Center is New York City’s post-surgical back pain provider to consult for Cox® Technic treatment.
CONTACT Rosenberg Wellness Center
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.
Make your New York City chiropractic appointment soon. If you have undergone back surgery - currently take pain meds, opioids, or not - we look forward to working with you.
