One sure fire way to avoid prescription drug addiction and abuse is to avoid taking the drugs. However, many people who become addicted to or dependent on prescription painkillers started the drugs when they were prescribed them by their doctor after surgery. Obviously, many surgeries are unavoidable but new research shows that some types of knee problems respond as well to exercise as they do to surgery. A little research into your options might reveal a non-surgical solution that may help avoid painkillers, and the potential for addiction or dependency that require drug detox to resolve.
The new study, conducted by the ORTON Research Institute in Helsinki, Finland on 56 patients with knee problems found that patients who received knee surgery and eight weeks of therapeutic exercise were no better off in the end that those who just did the exercise.
They also found that the patients who didn’t receive the knee surgery spent about $1300 less than those who did. The study was conducted in Europe, where health costs are generally less than in the U.S. and as this specific surgical procedure costs about $4500 in the U.S., the cost savings is even more significant.
If you or someone you care about is already taking prescription painkillers, look into a medical drug detox program to help them get off the drugs safely, but those who are looking at knee surgery should explore other options before proceeding.