Put down that painkiller. Study shows they don’t relieve back pain and may make it worse.

A few weeks ago, I was finishing up my day and received a call from a prospective client.  He was calling because he was suffering with back pain and had tried just about everything to make it go away. 

When I get a call like this, I try to take as much time as possible to listen to the caller and really understand his or her situation.  I listen as they tell me how long it’s been going on, if anything else has provided relief, and how the problem is affecting his or her day to day life.  I want to know what the problem is costing them, so I can figure out the best path forward.

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After getting a sense of the problems that back pain was causing in his life, I came to the conclusion that we might be able to help, and asked what he would like the next steps to be?

I was shocked by his answer.

“Well…....I was hoping you guys could write me a prescription for more painkillers.”
(We can’t write prescriptions.)

It immediately became clear to me that this was his goal all along – he had no interest in actually solving the problem.  His only interest was continuing to mask the symptoms with painkillers..  Based on the way he asked the question, I fear he had actually become addicted, and was looking for a way to get a drug fix.

This is a sad reality for entirely too many people dealing with back pain.  If you are feeling that painkillers might be your only solution to overcoming back pain, it’s might be because of some bad advice you’ve received along the way. According to a new NPR-Truven Health Analytics Health Poll, 40% of patients dealing with back pain were prescribed prescription painkillers by a doctor.

Those 40% of doctors are going against the latest guidelines released by the American College of Physicians (ACP) in April , which advises against painkillers as a first line of treatment for back pain. 

It's likely that the ACP made this decision based on studies like this one recently conducted by the George Institute for Global Health in Australia.  The study revealed that only 1 out of 6 patients achieved any significant pain relief with painkillers.  

Add in that painkillers are expensive, double the risk of gastrointestinal problems and stomach ulcers and may become addictive, and you might be starting to wonder why painkillers would ever be prescribed.

Back pain is a complex, multi-factorial problem with many different unique causes.  I can assure you that no one suffers from back pain due to a lack of Tylenol, Aleve, or Oxycontin.  If you’re interested in truly solving the back pain problem and getting back to a more active lifestyle, stop taking painkillers – the data shows it’s not helping and  likely causing the issues to get worse. 

If you’re interested in seeing what you can do instead, just click here:

**Click here to read a blog post about what you can do instead of taking painkillers**

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns – I’m always happy to help!

All the best,
Evan
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