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Prescription pain medications prescribed by doctors after surgery have contributed to the opioid crisis in America. People should consider non-surgical treatment options that are available to effectively treat painful conditions, including herniated discs without the need for drugs.
To begin, can you share some statistics regarding the current opioid epidemic?
Dr. Peter Ferraro: I sure can. In 2010, a national survey on drug use and health showed an estimated 22.6 million Americans age 12 and older are either current or past illicit drug users, and of those, 5.1 million were on pain relievers. 6% of those were from prescription medications given to them by their medical doctors. Since 2000, death rates have increased in overdoses of over 200%, according to the CDC. So pretty incredible statistics, unfortunately, on this topic.
In light of this epidemic, can you discuss the importance of people considering non-surgical treatment options?
Dr. Peter Ferraro: Absolutely. Never has there been a time in medicine where non-surgical alternatives are available for people suffering with acute and/or chronic pain. Most patients that are undergoing surgery are prescribed some form of pain medication to deal with those effects of either the procedure and/or of the surgical intervention, so for those that opt out of surgery and end up on pain management with a combination of steroid injections, as well as potentially oral narcotics.
What kinds of non-surgical treatment options does Ferraro Spine and Rehabilitation offer?
Dr. Peter Ferraro: Well, currently we actually have a patent pending approach, known as the Ferraro Spine Method, that I’ve combined four of the best treatment modalities and then customized them based on my 22 years of experience in dealing with herniated and degenerative disks. It includes spinal manipulation, non-surgical spinal decompression, therapeutic exercises, and a brand new state-of-the-art 25-watt thermal deep tissue laser therapy.
What type of conditions do you treat non-surgically?
Dr. Peter Ferraro: We treat a variety of conditions. I’d say the one that we see the best results, and it’s also the one that is least known about by the general population, is the non-surgical treatment of herniated and degenerative disks.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering back or neck surgery?
Dr. Peter Ferraro: My advice would be to exhaust all non-surgical options first, as the surgery is irreversible, as well. On the surgery, it limits your ability to obtain some of the treatments that could have benefited prior to the surgical intervention, so even though we work with phenomenal great surgeons, even they will tell you that it should be a last resort, and that conservative management should be utilized prior to surgical intervention.
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If you are interested in speaking with Ferraro Spine and Rehabilitation please visit ferraro1.wpengine.com or call 973-478-2212 to schedule an appointment.
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