Whether or not we want to admit to it, pain becomes a bigger part of our lives as we get older. Much of this is due to aging, along with the cumulative effects of injury and chronic illness to which we are more prone as we get older.

Unfortunately, one of the more dangerous effects that pain can have on aging is being played out on a large scale in the form of the current opioid crisis, which overwhelmingly affects seniors. In an effort to help address health issues that are more prevalent among seniors, September has been designated as Healthy Aging Month.

As part of his participation for this month, Dr. Nathen Horst is specifically focusing on the opioid crisis, and safe alternatives that may be just as effective.

Facts and Figures about the Opioid Crisis

A 2015 study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that as many as 126 million adults lived with some level of chronic pain. More than 11 percent of those had daily pain, and another 10 percent had severe chronic pain.

The study also noted that those with chronic severe pain had overall worse health, used more health care services, and were more disabled than those with less severe pain.

Another study by the CDC found that overdose deaths attributed to prescription opioids have quadrupled since 1999. The statistics for opioid addiction are not much better. 25 percent of non-cancer patients who are prescribed long-term opioids have addiction issues, which reached almost 2 million just in 2014.

Chiropractic Options to Opioids

One of the most common reasons that physicians prescribe opioids to seniors is musculoskeletal issues. There can be any number of reasons for pain, stiffness, or soreness in the joints, including arthritis, osteoporosis, and bone fractures.

Given the overall frailness of many elderly, along with multiple illnesses and medications, it’s not difficult to understand why there must be a better option than opioids to treat joint issues. Dr. Horst believes that chiropractic care may be just such an option.

Chiropractic care works from the theory that all pain, illness, and injury to the body result from misalignments of the vertebrae of the spine. These misalignments place pressure on nerves that lead in and out of the spinal column, which in turn, send improper signals to the brain that can result in pain and stiffness.

In order to remove pressure on the nerves, the individual vertebrae must be shifted back into their proper position. Dr. Horst realigns the vertebrae by means of a chiropractic adjustment, which opens up the space between the individual vertebrae, allowing them to ease back into their proper position. This will then relieve the pressure on the nerve, restoring proper signaling to the brain and reducing pain, stiffness, and soreness.

There is now a large body of research showing that chiropractic care provides a safe, effective, and non-invasive alternative to prescription opioids for treating any number of pain issues, particularly for elderly patients.

Given that Healthy Aging Month is here, it may be the ideal time to look into chiropractic care as an alternative treatment to pain medications for yourself or a friend or family member.