Avoid Opioid Medication, Try Physical Therapy First (for back pain)
Physical Therapy First (for back pain) You should seek physical therapy with a new bout of back pain- before you start any pain medications.
In what the Associaled Press describes as a “groundbreaking guideline”, the Ohio agency that oversees the state’s workers compensation program will now reject spinal fusion surgery and opioid prescriptions as an initial response to low back pain.
Ohio state is now requiring all new work-related back injuries undergo non-surgical care such as physical therapy for 60 days before including opioids as part of their treatment plan. The thought is to avoid opioid use whenever possible.
Ohio Worker’s Comp Porgram Requires Initial Nonsurgical, Nonopioid Treatment of LBP. PT In Motion. March 2019.
www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/10/us/ap-us-injured-works-opioids.html