Message: Choose safer ways to manage pain

WICHITA, Kan., Oct. 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Physical Therapy Month concludes, the Kansas Physical Therapy Association (KPTA) begins its first-ever anti-opioid campaign, aimed to bring new awareness to the state’s families over the holidays.

The premise of the campaign: There are safer ways to treat pain. Not becoming addicted to pain relief drugs starts by not having surgery in the first place when these drugs are prescribed.

“According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), one out of four patients taking pain killers after surgeries get addicted to these prescription pain medications,” said Susie Harms, PT and KPTA President. “It’s sad, especially considering opioids are largely ineffective for chronic pain which is a complex and recently discovered, neurological issue.” Research has shown that physical therapy in the treatment of low back pain can be more effective with lower risks and less costly than surgery.  Additionally, physical therapy doesn’t involve potentially addictive medications but rather focuses on active engagement to reduce pain through neuroscience education and optimizing movement to restore function, health and quality of life.

Research conducted by the American Physical Therapy Association shows that physical therapy is rarely used as a first treatment for pain, and they are trying to change this because lives are being shattered. First, the pain continues. Second, 25 percent of post-surgery prescription users get addicted to their drugs.

The statistics show the darker side of surgery where drugs are prescribed.

Since 1999, deaths from prescription opioid use have quadrupled. 75 percent of heroin use starts from abuse of prescription opioids. In 2015, nearly 30 percent of Medicare beneficiaries were prescribed opioids.

And this problem is not going away, as 11 percent of adults report having daily pain.

One way to lessen the impact of our national opioid crisis,” said Harms, “is to make surgery an option only after trying conservative measures such as physical therapy. Patients should be presented with non-surgical options first.”

In addition to the dangers from prescriptions, surgery can cost up to 14 times more than the cost of physical therapy conservatively, not including the long-term cost from prescriptions.

The KPTA suggests that patients complete a self-assessment pain profile that can be downloaded at its website, kpta.com. This profile can then be used in patients’ discussions with their doctors.

In Kansas, patients do not need a referral from their doctors to see a physical therapist. Patients can move forward by direct access to physical therapy and can see a physical therapist directly to explore pain management options.

For more information, visit kpta.com or the KPTA Facebook page.

About Kansas Physical Therapy Association

The Kansas Physical Therapy Association is the member organization of physical therapists and physical therapist assistants that represents, promotes and advocates for the profession of physical therapy, facilitates best practice and assists members in meeting the physical therapy needs of the community. To learn more, visit kpta.com.

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Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/661b52f5-fd41-406f-9f71-bb669d9c599c

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fcd4c7d1-2965-4f8c-9f00-062ae7686d19

Caroline Rowley
Kansas Physical Therapy Association
316.250.4465
crowley@rsmconnect.com