Addressing Canada’s opioid epidemic
Canada has one of the highest per capita consumption rates of prescription opioids in the world. A staggering 21.7 million prescriptions for opioids were dispensed in Canada in 2015 alone. It’s no shock then, that in Ontario there has seen a 1,566 per cent increase in methadone maintenance treatment enrolment since 1996. This increase in treatments coincides with the rise of opioid prescriptions suggesting a strong correlation.
The fact is, we need to address chronic pain differently. The Canadian Pain Coalition (CPC) and Canadian Pain Society (CPS) have jointly proposed the need for a national pain management strategy, one that is patient-focused and not primarily opioid-based. And they are right — a comprehensive approach like that suggested by CPC and CPS empowers and treats patients while shifting away from addictive opioids.
More attention must be paid to drug-free forms of treatment like physiotherapy. Not only have studies shown that such drug-free solutions of pain management are effective, they also empower patients to take an active role in their own care. Kyle Dertinger, a physiotherapist at Hagersville Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, notes that there are even psychological benefits to tackling pain this way. By taking an active role in treatment, patients are empowered and feel in control of their pain, often for the first time in years.
Opioid treatment may limit the sensation of pain but it does nothing to resolve the root cause or empower the patient.
With physiotherapy, the underlying problems are addressed and treated instead of masking the pain. In fact, this approach has not only proven to be successful but is shown to work better than prescription painkillers in response to pain.
Physiotherapy promotes healing from within; using patient feedback to set what Dertinger calls “functional goals”. Essentially, patients work with therapists to outline goals and establish viable solutions to meet those goals and reduce pain. Treatment then, is active, collaborative, and functional, focusing on the needs of the patient and their self-described goals. This is exactly the approach that CPC and CPS propose, stating that there needs to be a “focus on patient participation and empowerment” as part of overall treatment.
It’s clear that Canada’s costly opioid epidemic could be helped if we approach the treatment of pain differently. Canada needs to take a patient first approach that focuses on alternatives to opioids such as physiotherapy.
This patient focused approach to care has benefits beyond decreasing opioid dependency. Indeed, patients feel empowered when they have an active role in their recovery, when the root cause of their pain is addressed, and when they are given long-term sustainable solutions for pain management.