21 Mar Acupuncture Before Surgery May Help Reduce Opioid Use Afterward
The idea of any sort of surgery is worrying and additional stress about pain management doesn’t help. However, when repairs are necessary for you to enjoy a good quality of life, you want to go into the surgical procedure with confidence. Studies show that combining acupuncture with your surgery can reduce the need for heavy pain meds, such as opioids, as part of your recovery.
Pre-Surgical Acupuncture Options
After you discuss your non-surgical options with your chiropractor El Segundo and are ready for a surgical repair, make sure you have a conversation about acupuncture therapy in El Segundo prior to your operation. Recent research comparing traditional vs. placebo acupuncture as part of surgical prep indicates that the need for morphine after surgery among veterans in need of a hip repair was reduced to less than half of that needed by those who got the placebo.
Opioid Risk
The use of acupuncture for back pain and to manage post-surgical pain has long been treated as placebo medicine in the world of western medicine. However, physicians who have faced invasive surgeries have found that by getting acupuncture therapy in El Segundo, they have reduced their need for opioid dosing after surgery.
Opioids pose a serious health risk and can quickly become an addictive substance. Six percent of those who receive opioids for pain after surgery struggle with addiction, and the risk of overdose and death is higher among veterans. Acupuncture after surgery and as part of your surgical prep can reduce the need to take in these powerful and addictive substances.
Battlefield Vs. Traditional Acupuncture
If you undergo acupuncture El Segundo, you’ll be given traditional acupuncture. Needles will be inserted at various points in the body to address pain. Battlefield acupuncture focuses on the ear and is used in the military field as a stopgap to using opioids until the injured soldier can receive hospital care. The ear, to acupuncture practitioners, represents the whole body. This treatment can offer some relief to a soldier in crisis, but whole body acupuncture before and after surgery shows better results for long term healing.
Other Forms of Healing
If you’ve undergone acupuncture for back pain with the guidance of your chiropractor El Segundo, you know how effective it can be on inflamed nerves, sore muscles and tight spinal joints. Acupuncture El Segundo has also been found to be effective in treating the repair of bone fractures. Over the long term, those treated with acupuncture healed more fully and returned to full range of motion more quickly.
Surgical Anxiety
If you’ve been working with a chiropractor to avoid surgery, the idea of back surgery may be causing you a great deal of anxiety. Current data indicates that your post-surgical pain can be reduced and your anxiety better managed if you undergo acupuncture to support your respiratory and digestive systems.
Surgery is never easy. However, if you can go into the procedure knowing that your recovery time will be shorter and your post-operative pain easier to tolerate thanks to acupuncture, you can protect yourself against worry and focus on healing.