Approximately 20 million Americans will see a chiropractor in 2019, the majority of whom come in complaining of spine-related problems or back pain. The most common cause of acute pain we see in our Orlando office is due to auto accidents. As Interstate 4 remains under construction here in Central Florida, it is no surprise that the rate of car accidents seems to have gone up. In response, we regularly help victims of auto accidents regain a pain free life … without medications or surgery.
This is an important point as opioids, a powerful class of pain-relieving medications including oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, and others prescribed to manage pain, are now more deadline for Americans than traffic accidents. In January, the National Safety Council reported that for the first time in U.S. history, a person is more likely to die from an accidental opioid overdose than from a motor vehicle crash. This is frightening news for medical professionals and the general public when considering that as recently as 2017 there were almost 58 opioid prescriptions written for every 100 Americans. That means that it is highly likely that someone you know is on or has been on one of these medications this year.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Institute of Medicine have all called for the early use of non-drug approaches to pain and pain management as one solution to the growing opioid epidemic. This is where the role of the chiropractor has begun to shift. Since its inception in 1895, chiropractic has been a drugless profession helping patients increase motion, reduce inflammation, and restore the body’s ability to minimize or eliminate pain naturally. In Orlando, and cities across the country, more than 70,000 chiropractors are licensed as primary care or specialist doctors in musculoskeletal pain and have been addressing pain in patients without the use of drugs. Additionally, primary care doctors, pain management doctors and orthopedic doctors increasingly refer patients to chiropractors due to concerns about the risks associated with their patients becoming addicted to pain medication.
If we can help you or someone you know in the greater Orlando area manage pain or reduce the use of pain medication, we would be honored to help. Call us at (407) 982-7733 or visit our website www.nightlightchiropractic.com for more information on how we can help.
