According to research published in the Journal Pain Management, titled “Impact of Chiropractic Care on Use of Prescription Opioids in Patients with Spinal Pain”, concluded that:
Conclusions: Patients with spinal pain who saw a chiropractor had half the risk of filling an opioid prescription. Among those who saw a chiropractor within 30 days of diagnosis, the reduction in risk was greater as compared with those with their first visit after the acute phase.
In other words, if the person STARTS their care with a trip to the chiropractor (preferably also with seeing other healthcare providers, too), then that person is half as likely to even bother filling their opioid prescription. Presumably, that person felt less pain and was less likely to need addictive prescription opioids. That research was published in 2020.
Newer research, published in 2025, confirmed this relationship with chiropractic care lessening opioid use. University Health in Cleveland found that:
…an association between spinal manipulative therapy and a lower risk of opioid use disorder in this population, highlighting its potential value as a first-line non-pharmacological option for low back pain amid the ongoing opioid crisis.
So, research is consistently showing a decrease in opioid use when chiropractic care is a first-line treatment for people suffering from lower back pain. These results probably also will show the same opioid decrease with neck or shoulder or hip pain, and most other musculoskeletal pains. Body parts may all be different, but the way the body manages pain is pretty much the same no matter if it’s the knees or the elbows.
This research shows that chiropractic can help someone AVOID even needing opioids. That’s great. But, what if you already are using opioids? Chiropractors cannot prescribe or manage any medications, that is entirely out of our “scope of practice”.
Many injuries, like whiplash or neck strains, low back disc bulges, chronic knee or shoulder pain, and even migraines can be successfully treated with chiropractic care.
If you are currently suffering from muscle or joint pain and you are using opioids to manage that pain, consider talking to your primary care provider or your VA healthcare doctor – or whoever helps you with your health – and telling them that you are going to try chiropractic.
If you’re freaked out about going to a chiropractor, that’s okay. That’s not an uncommon thing for people to tell us. A lifetime of damage to your body and brain from opioids, though, is truly a much bigger thing to be worried about. Your liver, your kidneys, your stomach lining, your neurotransmitters…a lot of things inside your body undergo negative changes with extended opioid use. If going to a chiropractor every few weeks and spending a copay or $60 gets you to a place where you are taking less pain medication, that is a real long-term win for your body and brain.
If you’re interested in trying chiropractic and if you are in Frederick, give us a call. You can set up a new patient appointment or ask about a free consultation where you can just come in with questions.