Who Needs Opioid Painkillers?
Here’s one piece of good news: most people with back pain don’t need these powerful painkillers to begin with. Many with back pain often just use non-addictive medications like Tylenol or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Some NSAIDs are sold over the counter, like Motrin or Advil, and others are sold by prescription. Steroids can also be prescribed for back pain due to swelling and inflammation. These drugs do have some risks of their own, but the potential for addiction is not among them. Even when powerful opioids like Percocet and Vicodin are necessary, many people only need them in the short term. After an acute back injury or surgery, many just use these drugs to ease the pain enough that they can start moving around and begin physical therapy. But sometimes, the back pain lingers. Chronic back pain can sometimes develop as a result of arthritis or injuries that can’t be corrected surgically. In the small percentage of people with chronic and hard-to-treat back pain,
