In reaction to the opioid crisis, the Joint Commission on Health Care, the nation’s largest accreditation organization for hospitals, recommends a conservative approach in using medication for pain. And that may lead to chiropractic care being more involved in pain management in Ohio.
A growing number of medical facilities, including Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute, offer chiropractic services, especially for patients with musculoskeletal pain. The Ohio Chiropractic Association’s Opioid Task Force is calling for more such relationships—based on the Joint Commission’s stance.
Warren-based chiropractor Patrick Ensminger is co-chairman of the task force.
“The pain pathway that is being suggested now, with this opioid crisis, is: If a patient comes in with a pain complaint such as back pain, neck pain, headache -- instead of starting them down this process of providing opioid medication, you immediately get them under some physical method of care that is validated as being effective.”
The Ohio Chiropractic Association Opioid Task Force was formed in 2017.
