Chiropractic A Drug-Free Approach to Pain Relief

Chiropractic along with Other? Natural Treatments Can Help Reduce the Opioid Epidemic

As of now, there are over 2 million Americans dependent on opioids. For most of these individuals, the addiction comes from seeking pain management for an injury or chronic condition. The opioid crisis has become a national emergency causing overdose remedies to be sold over-the-counter.

Seeking chiropractic care can provide patients with relief, and aid in reducing any negative effects of the opioid epidemic.

The most commonly abused opioids are:

• Fentanyl
• Oxycodone
• Tramadol

Opioids are often given to people battling cancer but are also prescribed following surgery and for people with chronic pain.

Taking opioids over a long period of time is the most dangerous because the effects can trick your brain to thinking the drugs are necessary to live.

Opioids are a convenient and fast remedy for pain, but only provide pain relief, and do not treat the actual issues.

That is why opioids should be a last resort.

A chiropractor can assess your body from head to toe and provide pain relief through:

• Adjustments
• Massage
• Acupuncture
• Electromagnetic therapy

Chiropractic is a drug-free approach to pain relief and pain management.

The American College of Physicians (ACP) recommends the use of non-invasive, drug-free treatments such as Chiropractic care, first for chronic and acute lower back pain.

• Lower back pain is one of the primary causes of opioid dependency.
• Lower back pain can be difficult to treat, due to identifying and the cause.
• Many doctors prescribe pain killers to provide comfort, while the actual problem goes untreated.
• Chiropractors can identify the root cause of the pain.
• Lower back pain can be caused by issues with the feet, ankles, knees, or hips.
• Chronic back pain is due to some form of musculoskeletal weakness or imbalance.

An imbalance in one or both of the feet can cause problems throughout the entire body, especially placing stress on the lower back. Chiropractors are trained to examine the feet when a patient complains of back pain. Once the cause is identified, they can treat an individual without any prescription drugs.

Treatments for chronic pain typically include:

• Chiropractic adjustments
• Custom orthotics to help maintain the effectiveness of the adjustments
• You can be examined for custom orthotics in less than five minutes and have them sent directly to you or pick them up.
• Custom orthotics help us stand for extended periods, and with walking/working out.
• Custom orthotics help you function without pain, and prescription-free.

 Treat pain without the use of surgery and addictive drugs.

Manage *FOOT MOTION & POSTURE* with Custom Foot Orthotics | El Paso, Tx (2019)

If you have low back pain or have had it, you are not alone. Experts estimate that around 80% of people will experience some type of back problem at some point in their lives. The Global Burden of Disease 2010 lists low back pain as the number one cause of disability worldwide. The good news is the majority of back pain is mechanical in origin or is not organic. This means that infection, cancer, fracture, inflammatory arthritis, and other serious conditions are not the cause. In fact, you may benefit by looking to your feet, knees, and hips as the culprits.

What’s Afoot

When there are problems with the feet, it can cause problems through the legs and all the way to the spine. This can cause the ankle to pronate, meaning it rolls inward. This alters the way the bones of the foot line up which extends through the tibia, or shin bone.

NCBI Resources

The most commonly prescribed opioids are hydrocodone products. They are used to treat pain from injuries, dental work, and typically moderate pain. Milder pain is often treated with codeine but it is also used to treat coughing as well as severe diarrhea. Overall, opioids are used to treat everything from cancer pain to post-op pain to osteoarthritis.