The Opioid Epidemic

On Friday August 11, 2017 President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a national emergency. According to a CNN article, Trump said, “The opioid crisis is an emergency, and I am saying, officially, right now, it is an emergency. It’s a national emergency,” Trump said earlier at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. “We’re going to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money on the opioid crisis. It is a serious problem the likes of which we have never had.” According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), since 1999, the number of deaths relating to opioids has quadrupled. Recent government data shows that the increase in opioid deaths during the first three quarters of last year reveal a lack of solutions to the problem. Arkansas ranks in the top 20% of states that prescribe more prescription drugs per capita, and has one of the highest death rates in the United States due to drugs.

The National Institute of Health released an article back in 2015 regarding the causes of pain and why so many Americans experience pain. A couple months ago, I shared a few articles with you about how physical therapy is a viable option to minimize the opioid epidemic. AMN Healthcare produced an article stating, “The use of movement-based therapy is a safer alternative to opioid prescriptions in cases outside of active cancer, palliative, and end-of-life care, the CDC states in its guidelines released in 2016. The CDC recommends non-drug therapy, including physical therapy, as the first-line treatment for chronic pain.” If we can utilize physical therapy as an effective solution to reduce the need for prescription medications, we can ultimately reduce the number of deaths related to opioids.

At Galloway Therapy we care about the problems and pain that you face. Let us help you recover from pain the most safe and effective way. Please call us at 501-319-7659 or visit www.gallowaytherapy.com to make an appointment today!