Stop Pain Now

Consumer Reports June 2016 has a wonderful article titled “Stop Pain Now.”  Millions of people are in pain and seeking relief.

The article evaluates what works, what doesn’t, what’s dangerous and how to prevent it in the first place.

As structural chiropractors, both Dr. Campagna and Dr. Cooper are focused on finding the cause of the problem and symptoms and fixing it; verses just treating the symptoms.

This article primarily focuses on treatment of symptoms as it is an easily trackable way to determine positive or negative outcomes.

So let Dr. Campagna and Dr. Cooper share with you some scary statistics based on this article.

1. Acetaminophen – found in over 600 prescriptions and over the counter producers. Overuse is the leading cause of liver damage sending 80,000 people per year to the ER.
2. Aspirin, Ibuprofen, naproxen (NSAIDS) – on a given day 17 million Americans take one of those pain reliever. They work to inhibit inflammation. They are not to be taken for more than 10 days in a row or can cause intestinal bleeding, kidney failure, heart attacks, stomach ulcers and strokes. Dr. Campagna and Dr. Cooper see patients regularly who have been taking NSAIDS for multiple weeks, months or years. Our goal is to restore normal function and stop the usage and damaging side effects.
3. Opioids – OxyContin, Percocet, and Vicodin work by blocking pain signals sent to the brain. They don’t directly treat the problem only address the pain pathway. They are highly addictive and cause thousands of deaths annually.
4. Steroid Injections are designed to temporarily reduce inflammation around an irritated nerve. They currently are not approved by the FDA for that specific use but doctors still utilize them. There is risk of epidural abscess which can cause incontinence urinary retention, fever and ironically back pain. The FDA also warns of rare but serious side effects of vision loss, stroke paralysis and even death.

The article also evaluated chiropractic care and showed that adjustments to the spine help improve alignment, restore mobility and alleviate pain.

Some studies suggest it works as effective as medication. In a 2011 online survey of 45,000 consumer reports subscribers 65 percent stated chiropractic care significantly helped.

Dr. Campagna and Dr. Cooper utilize a specific, structural, effective approach to restoring spinal function.

The article does not indicate any negative side effects associated with chiropractic care although both Dr. Campagna and Dr. Cooper have been told numerous times that their adjustments are addictive. :)