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How to Cure Severe Lower Back Pain (Hint: No Hazardous Opioids Needed)

If there’s one thing that Americans can agree on, it’s that back pain can get in the way of the things that really matter in life. At any given moment, 31 million people in this country experience moderate to severe lower back pain — that’s nearly 10% of the population!

Half of the U.S. population has back pain at some time during a given year. Back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work.

It’s no wonder then that America has the opioid problem that it does today. People need to work to make a living, and they can’t do that if they are in pain. Taking a pill is an easy solution, but not one that is without consequences.

What the Studies Say

From addiction to death, those consequences are serious. Every day, 115 people die from an overdose (43,000 per year). According to a recent study in the American Journal of Psychiatry, About 60% of overdose cases first used after getting a prescription to treat chronic pain.

Over a third of those who overdosed began using because of chronic back pain.

Because of numbers like these, the American Medical Association now recommends alternative therapies, such as chiropractic care, over opioid prescriptions and surgeries. And chiropractic appears to be working wonders for people who want relief from conditions like severe lower back pain as well as protection against opioid addiction.

According to a January 2018 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, people with severe back pain who undergo chiropractic treatment as part of their rehabilitation are much less likely to rely on opioids to deal with their pain. The results of the study show that those who use chiropractic care are 55% less likely to fill a prescription for analgesic opioids.

Even if you are taking opioids for your back pain, chiropractic care can keep you from depending on them.

In addition to helping patients depend less on drugs for pain relief, chiropractic care also offers a less expensive route for back pain than surgery, which can sometimes add to the pain. Even simple surgical procedures have a risk, and when the surgery involves the spine, those risks can become serious problems.

Get Help Now for Your Severe Lower Back Pain

Most people want a quick fix because they don’t want to miss work and risk their livelihood, but the truth is that a pill can only mask the symptoms of back pain. When patients don’t feel pain, they don’t know whether their condition has worsened or improved, which can exacerbate an already serious injury. Severe lower back pain requires the expert opinion of a doctor, especially if the pain is chronic.

If you want to treat your severe back pain without risking your livelihood, get in touch with us today. We will work with you to give you the treatment you need and help you file for workers’ compensation if necessary. Contact us today.