Opioids vs... What?

I think this is a fine kettle of fish we find ourselves in with this opioid controversy. It’s easy to decry the use of opioids if you don’t have Plan B. So I think we’re seeing this in practice all the time, aren’t we?

When we talk about the multimodal therapy, the important thing is I think we need more data on the efficacy. Like I know I often read that massage has better data than drugs for low back pain which is great, but then the next part of that puzzle is will third party payers reimburse for these alternate therapies. I do think we have to ask people first and foremost—what a concept—and use some common sense. Do a thorough assessment and use a multimodal approach, but let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater just yet.