October is National Physical Therapy Month. Patients who would prefer to try just about anything before taking prescription opioids to treat their physical pain are not alone. According to a new report, most Americans would rather use a drug-free approach.
Earlier this year, data was collected from nearly 63,000 American adults, 78% of whom prefer to find another option to treat pain rather than taking medication prescribed by their doctors. The use of narcotics is viewed as a “crisis” or a very serious problem, and most people do not want to get caught up in it.
This study could mean that in the future, patients and health-care professionals alike will try drug-free treatment options before relying on opioids.
Instead of using pain medications, those surveyed in this recent study chose physical therapy as the safest option in treating pain.