Bottom Line: Over the past few years, our country has been fighting one of the deadliest epidemics in history: addiction to prescription pain medications. What’s more, thanks to a pharmaceutical industry that has billions of dollars to spend on lobbying and advertising, it’s been an uphill battle. In the United States alone, over 300 million prescriptions for pain relievers are filled every year. Many of the people filling those medications started taking them due to back pain, and until recently, prescribing pills has been the standard of medical care for acute pain. That’s why we have so many people addicted to painkillers, and it’s estimated that 2% of the population will eventually become addicted to these prescription painkillers.

Why it Matters: There is a better way, a safer way; a way to find relief without becoming addicted to these dangerous medications. New research shows that when Chiropractic care is added to standard medical care, over 73% of people have significant improvement or complete relief! What’s more, when people focus on correcting the cause of the problem and experience relief naturally, they don’t need to keep taking a higher and higher dose of medication to reduce their pain. That’s why many healthcare organizations are looking towards Chiropractic care as a tremendous ally in the fight against prescription medication abuse and addiction.

• Medications are no longer recommended as a first-line treatment for back pain.
• Over 73% of people who added Chiropractic to their medical care found significant or complete relief from back pain.
• Adjustments can help you address the cause of the pain, not just mask the symptoms.

Next Steps: If you are here for low back pain, then you are in the right place – science says so. Take the next step and share this paper with a friend who is sick and tired of taking medications to make it through their day!

Science Source:

(1) Adding Chiropractic Manipulative Therapy to Standard Medical Care for Patients With Acute Low Back Pain. SPINE Volume 38, Number 8, pp 627-634. @2013