Opioid use for pain has
been a common treatment. Its use is a little too common 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 supported, many back pain sufferers still receive opioid prescriptions from their healthcare providers. Pflugerville Wellness Center
would enjoy being the first healthcare provider Pflugerville
back pain and neck pain patients visit and truly welcome
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 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 help from various healthcare
providers before surgery is contemplated and/or scheduled. 66.9%
of patients in a retrospective study of patients who experienced
single-level fusion surgeries employed 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 increased improvement of
post-surgical back pain. The more pre-surgical opioid prescriptions a patient had
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 interesting 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 control
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 experience back pain in the same
area that the surgery was supposed to fix, the return of pain
can be vexing. 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 new study of such patients who turned to chiropractic
care with chiropractors who are certified in Cox® Technic spinal manipulation (manual
spinal decompression manipulation) reported that of the 59 patients
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 depend
on medications may be possible]. Pflugerville Wellness Center is Pflugerville’s post-surgical
back pain provider to consult for Cox® Technic treatment.
CONTACT Pflugerville Wellness 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 Pflugerville chiropractic
appointment now. If you have undergone
back surgery, currently using pain meds, opioids,
or not, we are looking forward to working with you.