Imagine this scenario: you’re driving your car and the “check engine” light comes on. You take the car to the mechanic. The mechanic’s response: “I can disconnect the check engine light so that it won’t annoy you anymore.” Would you be satisfied with this solution? Most likely, you’d be a lot more interested in finding out what the squeaking noise means. Yet, many people are willing to settle for this kind of approach when it comes to their bodies. Painkillers effectively unplug the warning light and anti-inflammatory drugs only suppress symptoms.
Masking the Real Problem
Unfortunately, when people are in pain, they tend to take the shortest path to getting out of pain. Doctors commonly prescribe opioids such as Oxycontin and Vicodin for knee pain and corticosteroids for inflammation. Patients tend to become increasingly dependent on these drugs over time. Pain is your body’s mechanism for communicating with you. Swelling and inflammation indicate deeper problems. Relying too much on medication distorts a patient’s view of reality. It creates the illusory impression that all is well.
Less Motivation to Address the Issue
Not only do painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs fail to address the root cause, but they also diminish the patient’s motivation to seek out treatment. A patient may know that medication has not truly fixed the problem and plan to seek therapy at a later date, but this can lead to procrastination. When you suppress your body’s natural mechanism for telling you that something needs to be done, the problem becomes “out of sight, out of mind.” To an extent, the same effect can happen with inflammation. When medication alleviates inflammation and restores your normal range of motion, you may become tempted to delay rehabilitation.
Progressive Conditions Worsen over Time
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common condition for which patients come to us for help. The early stages of OA often do not cause a significant amount of pain or discomfort. When patients respond to the initial stages of knee pain by taking medication to suppress symptoms, the problem silently grows worse. In the case of OA, cartilage wears away and results in bone-on-bone contact when walking and running. Patients in the habit of taking painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication will most often continue the same habits that cause the underlying problem.
Side Effects
Sustained use of corticosteroids and other anti-inflammatory drugs can cause gastrointestinal bleeding and ulcers among a host of other side effects. They also interact with other prescription medicines. (Clinical drug trials generally only test one drug at a time, which makes it difficult to draw conclusions about interactions.) We see it often in patients suffering from knee pain. A significant number of patients come to us after they’ve been taking painkillers and corticosteroids for an extended period of time. After a point, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs will lose their effectiveness. This is partly due to the fact that the condition will have worsened. Also, patients often build up a tolerance to painkillers over time, necessitating stronger medications and heavier doses. When patients go down this path, they run the risk of becoming addicted to painkillers. Medication is effective as a temporary means of alleviating pain and allowing patients to function at work. They are not a permanent solution. We offer treatment options designed to address the root causes of knee pain, such as viscosupplementation and regenerative therapy. If you are suffering from knee or joint point, give us a call today discuss the different treatment options available to you. If you suffer from OA or knee pain, Contact us today to schedule an initial consultation to discuss the treatment options that we offer.
