When practitioners at an Injury Rehabilitation Clinic work with patients who are recovering drug addicts, there are additional challenges in regard to pain management. People who have previously been chemically dependent on substances such as painkillers or sedatives commonly will not take prescription pain relief medication. They know the risk of relapse. Practitioners such as physical therapists and chiropractors focus on strategies to reduce pain in these patients as much as possible through natural methods while also helping them to regain physical function after a serious injury. Medical doctors at the clinic may be able to help some patients by prescribing antidepressants or anti-seizure drugs that reduce pain without generating the sense of euphoria associated with the narcotic medication.
At an Injury Rehabilitation Clinic, physical therapy and chiropractic care both can decrease pain. Chiropractic doctors perform spinal manipulation that brings the spine and skeletal muscles into alignment while physical therapists focus on exercises that relieve pain and increase strength and flexibility. Dietitians and wellness consultants can assist patients with learning the best nutritional strategies for healing the body and for pain relief. Herbal remedies with anti-inflammatory properties may be effective for some patients as well.
Patients who have never been dependent on narcotic medication may still have reasons for wanting to avoid these drugs. They may have been addicted to alcohol, cocaine or marijuana, for example, and they recognize their propensity toward substance abuse. In other cases, a patient has a family history of addiction even if he or she has managed to avoid it. This person feels the risk of dependency is too great and does not want to take any chances.
A clinic such as Allegheny Medical Integrated Health Services can help all these people with their concerns when they are making the effort to recover from a physical injury and prefer to avoid prescription pain-killing medicine. In some instances, taking this type of medication essentially becomes necessary if the person cannot live any sort of normal life without it. Options such as only providing the medicine in single doses can provide the pain relief that is needed while preventing the dependency from developing. You can also connect with them on Facebook for more updates.
