Latest Research Shows Chiropractic Decreases Need for Opioids for Lower Back Pain Up to 90%

A recently published five-year study published evaluated claims from patient visits, pharmacy claims, and inpatient and outpatient procedures. The study followed well over 200,00 patients across the USA, some of them seeing medical doctors while others sought natural alternative care, including doctors of chiropractic.

The end result? Those who initially sought chiropractic care for low back pain (LBP) needed up to 90% less opioid prescriptions.

The study explained that patients who received initial treatment from chiropractors decreased odds of short-term and long-term opioid use compared with those who received initial treatment from a primary care physician (PCP). Compared with PCP visits, initial chiropractic care was also associated with decreased odds of long-term opioid use, too.

Prescription opioid use has ballooned into an epidemic since the 1990s, according to the CDC. Overdose deaths have been on the rise since at least 1999 with spikes in 2010 and 2013. Over 191 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed to American patients in 2017. The CDC said on their website, "To reverse this epidemic, we need to improve the way we treat pain."

Chiropractic services can vary from clinic to clinic, but the common denominator is to effectively treat each patient without the use of drugs or having to resort to surgery. Core chiropractic care reduces pain and inflammation while helping you recover range of motion and increase flexibility.