Making it harder to get opioids is cruel if we don't provide good alternatives.
Dustyn Thompson is a licensed massage therapist and advocate who sits on the Non-Opioid Pain Management Subcommittee of the Addiction Action Committee.
As Massage Therapy Awareness Week progresses, it is important Delawareans have a conversation on the management of chronic pain in the First State.
Approximately 8 out of 10 Americans will experience back pain at some point in their life. With the soaring rates of opioid addiction across the nation, it is vital now more than ever to know what your options are in your journey to find relief.
The number one thing you can do to help with pain is to avoid the issues that lead to back pain to begin with. This means always using proper lifting techniques, setting up an ergonomic workstation at home and work, spending less time on laptops and tablets, and being sure to stretch throughout the day and after any strenuous activities. However, for many Delawareans it may be too late to avoid the issue, so what can be done now to help manage the pain?
A proper stretching routine is paramount to chronic pain management. The muscles in your body are powerful and can easily pull and tug on the joints, causing postural problems that can be the primary cause of or exacerbate pain throughout the body.
A tight muscle in your upper leg, which in all likelihood will not be felt by the patient, can cause significant dysfunction in the pelvis leading to chronic and severe lower back pain. A stretching routine designed to stabilize the pelvis and release these tight leg muscles can often be very effective in treating chronic lower back pain.
Chiropractic care has also been found to be effective in treating lower back pain by increasing range of motion and decreasing inflammation.
Yet one effective treatment is still quite controversial and has an array of stigmas associated with it: massage therapy. Unfortunately, many individuals are uninformed about the medical validity of massage therapy as a treatment for chronic pain.
However, a growing body of knowledge is developing which shows the effectiveness of massage therapy as both a standalone treatment and in a combination of other modalities such as physical therapy, chiropractic, and traditional medical treatment.
Massage therapy should not just be treated as a luxury, for relaxation, or just for women. Massage therapy is a medical treatment that dates back to ancient Greece and has been used by athletic teams and sports professionals for decades. The manipulation of soft tissue via massage therapy has been proven to have a lasting effect on the body by helping improve circulation, decreasing pain, increasing range of motion, and improving quality of life.
Earlier this year, the Center for Medicare Services published new guidelines on medically-approved non-opioid pain management and recommended that massage therapy be covered for pain management by insurance. Last year, 37 U.S. attorneys general also called for the inclusion of massage therapy as a covered treatment option by all insurance companies.
Another area in need of study is the ability of massage therapy to relieve the pain associated with decreasing the usage of opioids in patients seeking to wean off pain medications.
Robert Rich Jr. suggests that massage therapy can help patients wean off long-term opioid regimens. As individuals decrease their opioid dosages, massage and other therapies can help provide pain relief and help improve compliance in reducing usage.
Still, more research is needed to show what frequency and types of massage work best for this purpose.
Opioid usage is a serious concern, but we have to understand that many individuals seek opioids to manage their pain because they do not understand or cannot afford the alternative options. While we must push for responsible prescribing, we also need to avoid over- "cracking down" without providing safe, effective, and affordable options for pain management patients.
Additionally, we must do our part to educate the public and physicians on the effectiveness of therapeutic massage for chronic and acute pain management.
While Delaware is working to expand treatment options for those suffering from chronic pain to include massage therapy, many clinics around the state will offer discounts for those needing routine services for pain management. For any clinic that does not do so already, our profession needs to step into this role by offering package services and treatment plan discounts to all clients dealing with chronic pain.