Reduce The Risk of Opioid Abuse With Physical Therapy

Patients who underwent physical therapy soon after being diagnosed with pain in the shoulder, neck, low back or knee were approximately 7 to 16 percent less likely to use opioids in the subsequent months, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Duke University School of Medicine.

For patients with shoulder, back or knee pain who did use opioids, early physical therapy was associated with a 5 to 10 percent reduction in how much of the drug they used, the study found.

Nancy Weber, Physical Therapy Assistant at Integrity Physical Therapy in Northfield, explains how physical therapy can help reduce the risk of opioid addiction.