AVOID OPIOIDS! PHYSIOTHERAPY IS PAIN MANAGEMENT

In the last twenty years the sale and use of opioids have more than QUADRUPLED in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We are currently in the period known as the “Opioid Crisis”. This is a public health epidemic. Physicians over prescribe medications that are highly addictive and are only intended to mask pain. In effort to reduce opioid use, in March 2016 the CDC updated its opioid prescription guidelines for prescribing these dangerous medications. There are certain conditions such as cancer treatments, end of life care and palliative care which opioids may be appropriate. However, the CDC has found many cases where opioids should not have been used.

The CDC recommends Physical Therapy, a non-opioid intervention, to treat pain prior to the use of opioids. Why Physical Therapy you ask? Well let me tell you… Physiotherapy is more effective at eliminating pain!

Physical Therapy time and time again is proven to be more effective in eliminating chronic pain. Osteoarthritis, back pain and fibromyalgia have the significantly better results from physiotherapy when compared to opioids. Opioids are made to block pain receptors from reaching the brain. This is a way of masking your brain from interpreting the pain. Opioids will not fix any problem that causes pain. That is a fact. Physiotherapy is the restoration of function caused by injury, disease or disability. Physical Therapist treat and eliminate pain by determining the source of dysfunction and correcting it.

The CDC considers all non-opioid interventions “much lower risks”. There are very few, to no risks associated with Physiotherapy. Opioids are highly addictive substances that are very difficult to stop using once you start. The long-term effects that these medications have on the body are still uncertain.

If you are already on an opioid, the CDC still recommends that you couple this with a non-opioid intervention, such as physical therapy. If you have not been prescribed an opioid but are experiencing pain, TRY PHYSIOTHERAPY FIRST! Don’t risk addiction!

For more information on the PHYSIOTHERAPY FIRST, visit Rosi Physiotherapy where they do not use experimental treatments. Their Doctors practice safe and effective interventions to heal pain. Find them under Physical Therapy in the Wellness Village. Member since Jun 16, 2017.