Opioid use for pain has
been a familiar treatment. Its use is a little too common as medicine today is even trying to scale back on its
prescription. For back surgery patients, it’s been quite common,
both before and/or after back surgery. Though today the use of opioids is being
less encouraged, many back pain sufferers find
themselves with opioid prescriptions from their healthcare providers. Satterwhite Chiropractic
would love to be the first healthcare provider Oxford
back pain and neck pain patients visit and truly embrace
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 are 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 considered and/or scheduled. 66.9%
of patients in a retrospective study of patients who had
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 poorer
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 interesting and
seemingly side point of the study was that if a nonoperative
spine provider was included in the case, a greater improvement in leg pain VAS scores was noted. (1)
Chiropractic is a profession of nonoperative spine providers! We chiropractors
are ready and well-trained to help control
back pain before and after surgery and give patients a chance
to reduce 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 relieve, the return of pain
can be frustrating. Some got back the medical
model and get new pain medication prescriptions or extended
prescriptions for the post-surgery meds. Others seek chiropractic
care. A recent study of such patients who sought chiropractic
care with chiropractors who are certified in Cox® Technic spinal manipulation (manual
spinal decompression manipulation) reported that of the 59 participants
in the study, 11 entered the study with
opioid medications. Eight of them self-reported that they lowered
or quit their use. Three said they maintained
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]. Satterwhite Chiropractic is Oxford’s post-surgical
back pain provider to consult for Cox® Technic treatment.
CONTACT Satterwhite Chiropractic
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 Oxford chiropractic
appointment now. If you’ve had
back surgery, now taking pain meds, opioids,
or not, we look forward to seeing and helping
you.