In case you didn’t know, October 16, 2017 was World Spine Day. It’s an opportunity to raise awareness of the global burden of disease that spinal pain poses throughout the world. I had the opportunity to discuss the role of back pain in the opioid crisis with Gene Valaitis of Roundhouse Radio in my very first radio interview.
Unfortunately, muscle and joint pain has affected 90% of Canadians in the past year. We also know that 85% of people will get low back pain at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, many people turn to pain medication (buy tramadol) as a first option to manage pain. Over the past two decades there has been an abundance of opioid prescription for musculoskeletal pain, which can lead to addiction in some. In a recent 2016 study, it was identified that 1 in 550 patients died from opioid-related overdose 2.6 years from their first opioid prescription.
While there are many effective non-pharmacological treatment for muscle and joint pain, two barriers exist. Financial barriers limit access to care and can limit the ability of individuals to make the choice to seek conservative pain management strategies. The other barrier is lack of awareness that these strategies exist. Chiropractic care can help alleviate pain, manage symptoms, and improve function. If chiropractic care can’t help, then there are many other health disciplines that might be the right fit. What we’re starting to realize; however, is that non-pharmacological interventions should be the first approach when managing muscle and joint pain.
If you’d like to listen to the 7-minute interview, you can catch it here: http://cirh2.streamon.fm/listenlater-pl-12602
Here I am in studio with host Gene Valaitis!
Yours in health,
Dr. Gaelan