Non-pharmacological Approaches to Musculoskeletal Pain

Musculoskeletal Pain

There are few things more damaging, more stressful, more sanity-destroying than trying to cope with constant, chronic  (muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones) musculoskeletal pain. Chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain affects every aspect of the sufferer’s life; from his or her ability to work, to their relationships with family and friends, and even their capacity to derive any pleasure from activities they once enjoyed.

It really is no wonder that people will resort to any measures that can potentially make the pain recede.  In more and more cases, those measures include or are even restricted to, the consumption of opioids.  Unfortunately, this type of pain management can often lead to issues more severe than the pain itself, such as addiction or even death.

What are Opioids?

Opioids are substances that act by binding to opioid receptors in our bodies which are found principally in the central and peripheral nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. These receptors control pain, reward and addictive behaviors. Although they are primarily used for severe pain relief, opioids are also used for anesthetic purposes, to suppress cough, to suppress diarrhea and, ironically, to treat addiction.  Some of the mass market opioids most prescribed to treat chronic pain are morphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone and fentanyl.

Opioids, however, have a very dark side.  Side effects from opioid use can include itchiness, sedation, nausea, respiratory depression, constipation, and euphoria. But the most serious side effect of continued opioid use is substance addiction which can lead to accidental overdosing and possibly death. The numbers are staggering. In America, drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50.  In Ontario in 2015/16 9 million prescriptions written for opiates, this number is up by nearly 450,000 prescriptions from just three years ago. Patients with MSK conditions are a significant percentage of those receiving these prescriptions.

Alternatives to Pharmacotherapy.

In the recently published “Canadian Guidelines for Opioid Therapy and Chronic Non-Cancer Pain”, practitioners were urged to “maximize non-opioid pharmacotherapy and non-pharmacological therapy options before considering opioids”. This recommendation was ostensibly made to engender greater awareness of the need for non-pharmacological approaches to MSK pain such as, singly or in combination, non-opioid medicine, injections, ointments or patches, surgery, physical therapy, psychotherapy to try to deal with the emotional issues associated with the pain, and mindfulness techniques such as meditation (best canadian pharmacies).  

Ideally, the goal of any practitioner is to formulate a pain management plan for each patient that includes resources from multiple disciplines. “Pain is often a multidisciplinary problem that requires a multidisciplinary approach”, says Dr. Daniel Berland, M.D., clinical assistant professor at Michigan University School of Medicine.  “Many patients,” he continues, “have had things happen to them in life that make their brains react excessively to the pain they have in their bodies…their brain’s response to pain has effectively been altered by their lives.”  

Chiropractic and MSK Pain Relief

As governments and medical agencies all over the world try to tackle to growing opioid epidemic more and more associations, such as the American Chiropractic Association, for example, are launching their own campaigns to propagate the notion of alternative treatments.

Chiropractic care is widely recognized as an excellent choice for the treatment of MSK pain, either on its own or as part of a comprehensive pain management protocol.  

Chiropractors use hands-on manipulation to properly align the body’s musculoskeletal structures, especially the spine.   The theory behind this practice is that when the spine is properly aligned, the body will begin to heal itself without the need for surgery or medication.  Chiropractic manipulation is also used to restore full mobility to joints whose movement has been restricted by tissue injury (sprains or strains), by a more traumatic event such as a fall or other accident, or by repetitive stress such as sitting without proper back support or sleeping on an improper mattress.

Pain Management: Be Your Own Best Advocate

It has never been more important to be a well-educated patient.  The high cost of medical care, overbooked practitioners, and doctors who quickly and thoughtlessly write opioid prescriptions to their pain riddled-patients, mean that the chance for unsupervised overuse and abuse of these dangerous substances is rampant.

If you are in constant chronic pain, don’t settle for a quick illegible scribble on a piece of paper.  Talk to your practitioner about building a pain management regimen that includes exercise, nutrition, psychological support, chiropractic treatments, medication, vitamins and any other avenues of potential help that are right for you.   Always remember that you have other options that won’t put your life at risk.

When chronic back pain develops to the point that it causes serious damage to the spinal discs such as bulging, herniated, protruding or degenerative disc conditions, turn to Back Clinics of Canada’s unique system of care, The High Performance Healing System™, a one of a kind non-surgical, drug-less system that has been successful even where other conventional treatments have failed.

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