Opioids

ACA offers resources to help communicate the value of chiropractic’s nondrug approach in preventing opioid use disorder.

While efforts to address the overuse and abuse of opioid pain medications in the U.S. have led to a decrease in the number of prescriptions written, drug overdose deaths involving opioids have still managed to rise slightly in recent years. Even the pandemic has not slowed the rate of addiction in some communities. Federal health agencies have acknowledged the need for a multi-pronged approach to opioid use disorder (OUD) that includes prevention strategies involving nonpharmacologic treatments. Perhaps never before in history has the value of chiropractic’s patient-centered, nondrug, noninvasive approach to pain relief been more apparent and more needed.

Chiropractic is a part of the solution to the opioid epidemic. Historically, back pain has a been one of the most common reasons why opioids were prescribed to patients, yet research shows there is no evidence that opioids provide clinically significant relief to chronic low back pain. As many as one in four people who receive prescription opioids long term for non-cancer pain in primary care settings struggle with addiction. Meanwhile, a growing body of research shows that early intervention with chiropractic services can have a significant impact on the long-term use of prescription opioid pain medications for some patients.

Learn ACA Webinar: The Chiropractor’s Role in the Opioid Crisis

A Common Sense Strategy to Fight Opioid Abuse (PDF)

Research Infographics

Hands Down Better: Chiropractic and the Opioid Epidemic

ACA Is a Trusted Resource in Advocacy Circles for Information on Non-drug Approaches

ACA Comments to CDC Regarding Proposed 2022 Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids (PDF)