Blog post from our board member Dr. Robert Bacci: Opioid prescription rates – this is why you should try PT – Courtesy of Bacci & Glinn Physical Therapy
PRESCRIPTION RATES FOR OPIOIDS ARE DECREASING WHILE RATES FOR NON-OPIOIDS PRESCRIPTIONS ARE INCREASING
Try as we might, it’s nearly impossible to avoid pain altogether. Whether it’s twisted ankle or a sore neck, we all experience pain at one point or another, which is why pain is by far the most common reason people seek out health care. But treating pain—especially long-lasting, or chronic pain—is rarely easy or straightforward. Treatment often requires a multifaceted approach due to the numerous variables that contribute to a patient’s perception of pain and response to treatment.
The use of opioids to treat pain has long been controversial. Some patients, such as those with terminal illnesses and those who are on end-of-life care, may require opioids due to the extreme amount of pain they are in. Opioids may also be appropriate for a limited period for certain short-lived (acute) painful conditions; however, it’s not clear if they are also effective for patients with chronic pain. But this has not stopped medical professionals from prescribing these drugs for all types of conditions.
Starting in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, opioids were prescribed on a major scale to individuals dealing with both acute and chronic pain. Over the years, prescribing these drugs has become a standard practice that many doctors assumed was safe and effective, even though there has always been a lack of high-quality research on the benefits and harms of opioids. As a result, opioids have been overprescribed for far too long, and at least 400,000 people have died of an opioid overdose between 1999 and 2017. Read more…