they take pain medication prescribed by a doctor. About a third, or 31 percent, say chiropractic care is safer than prescription pain medication for significant neck or back pain.25


And 44


percent of Americans we surveyed see prescription painkillers as a “crisis” or “very serious problem” in their local area.26


As concern over the nation’s opioid epidemic has grown, non-drug pain management choices like chiropractic care have earned more attention and acceptance from the medical community. Pursuing drug-free options can also be attractive to employers and insurers because the cost is often lower and disability leave is minimized.


Holistic Health NON-DRUG PAIN MANAGEMENT


With the opioid crisis driving a search for other pain-management options, chiropractic care can be an outstanding choice among non-drug therapies. Lower-back pain is the most common reason for an opioid prescription in general—52 percent of prescribed opioids are for lower-back pain, according to new research by OptumLabs and Boston University School of Public Health.22


The team’s study, recently published in the medical journal BMJ Open,23


found that individuals who received initial non-invasive


care from a physical therapist, chiropractor or acupuncturist for their new-onset lower-back pain had decreased odds of short- and long-term opioid use, compared with those who received initial care from a primary-care provider or specialist physician.24


Acknowledging this drug-free option’s success rate


could reshape public policy and insurance coverage related to prescriptions for habit-forming medications to address back pain.


Our research shows that Americans prefer drug-free pain management and are very aware of the dangers associated with opioid use and the potential for abuse. In fact, 78 percent prefer to try other ways to address their physical pain before


52%


LOWER-BACK PAIN


Opioid Prescriptions


Lower-back pain is the most common reason for an opioid prescription in general — 52 percent of prescribed opioids are for lower-back pain.


12 PALMER COLLEGE OF CHIROPRACTIC


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