Have Neck Pain? Try This Alternative to Opioids
Your body does quite an amazing balancing act with your head! Imagine a ten-pound mass (your head) sitting on top of a column of bones (your neck) with split-second movements in all directions and under enormous forces. It is no wonder that neck pain is one of humankinds most common and persistent problems.
To better understand this affliction, know this: Neck pain comes in a variety of forms. There is the temporary kind after sleeping awkwardly; the sore kind you may experience after exercise; or the nagging kind that is often associated with trauma such as a car accident. In the first case, at least, the general consensus can be “stop doing what makes it worse.”
If it’s chronic, however, that’s different.
“While it’s not only debilitating, it is also the center of the opioid crisis that is now plaguing the nation as opiate-containing prescription drugs are often used and abused among those with chronic neck pain.”
Currently, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warning that drugs such as OxyContin, Norco, and Vicodin are addictive and potentially fatal, and urging consumers and healthcare providers to seek non-pharmacologic alternatives for managing neck pain.
One of the most commonly and successful used non-pharmacologic approaches is drug-free chiropractic care, which has high patient satisfaction scores and is covered by most insurance.
“Doctors of chiropractic are well-trained and highly educated in the structure and function of the human body,” says Sherry McAllister, DC, executive vice president of the not-for-profit Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. “They use hands-on techniques to help enhance neurological control, flexibility, muscle strength, and range of motion.”
Scource: Health & Wellness Directory