Physical therapy can help you govern your pain without drugs, giving you the opportunity to break away from opioids.
Long-term opioid use is not a good strategy for chronic pain management. Opioids simply relieve the symptoms (pain) of a larger problem, which increases the risk of addiction.
Physical therapy has been shown to be a far better option than opioids or other pharmaceutical painkillers for achieving real, measurable pain relief.
Contact our office to speak with a physical therapist if you are considering opioids for pain relief but would like to explore other options first.
How can physical therapy offer long-term pain relief?
Physical therapy helps patients to cure the source of the pain, rather than ignoring the source by dulling the pain.
If a patient suffers from arthritis or any other type of chronic pain, a physical therapist can teach that patient the proper ways to move and utilize key muscle groups so that the pain source does not worsen.
Researchers at Stanford University have shown that turning to physical therapy early on, as soon as a person is diagnosed with musculoskeletal pain, reduced the need for opioid pain prescriptions by 7 to 16 percent.
Among patients who did require opioids for pain relief, the duration of using painkillers was reduced by as much as 10 percent.
Another goal of physical therapy will be to strengthen muscle groups that support aching or painful parts of the body, so that real healing can take place.
In most cases, opting for physical therapy will not result in immediate pain relief. You will need to be dedicated to your recovery and performing your exercises on a daily basis, according to your treatment plan created by your physical therapist. This is how you’ll become successful and pain-free!
You can often avoid the need for prescription painkillers or opioids because the work will be geared toward curing the source of the pain.
What’s the problem with opioids?
Anyone suffering from pain and leaning on prescription medication should be aware that opioids will not address the underlying physical issue that is causing the pain. Opioids, in fact, can exacerbate the original problem.
Consider a person who has been suffering from chronic pain for several months following shoulder surgery. Although the surgical wound has healed, the pain continues.
If the patient takes opioids to relieve the pain, they risk re-injuring their shoulder. Pain is the body’s way of informing us that something is wrong.
The opioid epidemic in America has gotten so bad in recent years that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now recommending that patients explore alternative options for pain relief.
The CDC recommends that opioids now be considered as a “last option” for only the worst pain cases. Alternative and holistic pain relief methods, including physical therapy, are not as fast as opioids, but these methods do not carry the extreme risks of addiction and overdose.
Because the opioids have taken away the pain, the patient may be using their shoulder muscles incorrectly, causing the underlying problem to worsen.
If the same patient worked with a physical therapist for pain relief, they would have a much better chance of completely eliminating the pain. Physical therapy, manual therapy, proper exercise, body mechanics, and posture work could all help their shoulder heal without the use of addictive opioid painkillers.
The difference between opioids and over the counter medication
It’s important to understand the differences between opioids and over-the-counter medications. There aren’t many significant health risks when people use over-the-counter medications to relieve pain.
When it comes to pain relievers, Advil, Tylenol, and Ibuprofen are generally safe to use in moderation if you’re recovering from a car accident.
But with severe pain, from a more serious injury, you may have sustained during the accident, prescription-strength medications may be issued. However, with severe pain comes severe medication, as well.
Opioids are the most commonly prescribed pain medication in the United States. They contain some shockingly harmful facts, despite their commonplaceness:
- More than 2 million people in the United States become addicted to pain medication every year, many of the medications being opioids.
- Opioids are a highly dangerous class of substances. Heroin is among the opioid category, as well as prescription pain relievers like oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, and more.
- About a quarter of heroin addicts began their addiction through prescription opioid dependency.
- Opioids are a highly addictive substance and are the most commonly abused prescription medication.
These facts, while disturbing, must be taken into account. They paint a bleak picture of prescription pain medication use in the United States, which experts believe has reached epidemic proportions.
To become addicted to opioids, you don’t need to have a history of addiction; in fact, many people who become addicted have never had any previous drug dependency issues.
Fortunately, physical therapy can help provide the same pain relief in a much safer, healthier, and natural way.
Call us today to find natural, true pain relief
Do you suffer from a chronic condition that is causing you pain, day in and day out? Call our office today to schedule your first appointment with a licensed physical therapist. Our clinic is here to help you find your way back to feeling your absolute best, so you can take on whatever life throws your way.
Sources:
- https://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/2018/10/Feature/Opioid/
