Why You Should Avoid Drugs for Back Pain

Chiropractic is centered on the principle of allowing your body to heal naturally through spinal adjustments and lifestyle changes that promote overall health. For Dr. Palmer, this means working to restore your body's healthy functioning to prevent the need for drugs or surgical treatments. We notice that most of our Depew patients are relieved to find a natural approach for their health issues.

One benefit of chiropractic care is that it helps people decrease or eliminate the use of narcotics. Medications are oftentimes issued to individuals who have back problems. This is such a serious problem that the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) issued a news release stating that opioid (painkiller) risks overshadow the benefits when administered for back pain.

Some of the most popular opiates, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, include hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin and Percocet), morphine, and codeine. Statistics supplied by the AAN cite the fact that approximately 50% of the people taking these types of substances for a period of three months are still dependent on them five years down the road. This can further complicate the difficulty of back pain and recovery, especially if an opiate dependency arises.

Compare that to chiropractic which features natural healing and the advantages are obvious. While a drug might be useful at briefly relieving the discomfort of a health issue, it's not a solution to the problem. Drugs don't fix your injured spine; it will only conceal the pain.

Dr. Palmer will first examine you to get to the origin of your back problems and then work with you to correct the problem -- without any risky medications.

If you're ready for pain relief, naturally, give our Depew office a call at (716) 668-2225 to make an appointment with Dr. Palmer.

References

• Risk of opioids outweigh benefits for headache, low back pain, other conditions. American Academy of Neurology;September 29, 2014.
• What are opioids? National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/prescription-drugs/opioids/what-are-opioids