As the prescription opioid epidemic took hold in recent decades, awareness has grown among medical professionals around the dangers of over-prescribing pain-killing medication.

This is evidenced by The American Medical Association 2021 report showing a notable decline in opioids prescribed by doctors, yet alarming levels of addiction and overdoses persist due to illicit drug use.

While the reasons behind this epidemic are complex and many, the corporate healthcare model has been one driver of this. The corporate healthcare experience often involves a high volume of patients coming to a provider, who typically receive standard and non-individualized care.

Fortunately at Balance Foot & Ankle, we’re not tethered to that model of healthcare.

Patients come to us for a range of conditions and injuries that are associated with significant pain, especially when surgical treatment is involved. That’s why all of our doctors and staff make every decision thoughtfully and with the side effects of any treatment plan top of mind.

When a patient comes through our doors, getting to the root cause of an issue is a priority. That means we don’t treat patients in a silo, rather we examine the unique, underlying factors contributing to a health issue. This helps inform a more personalized and comprehensive treatment plan that doesn’t rely on simply prescribing the problem away with pain medication.

But what exactly does personalized and comprehensive mean? At Balance, it means our team approaches patient care with a focus on people as whole individuals. For example, we recognize that a patient’s postoperative recovery from major injuries may require a different approach to pain management than another patient’s chronic or mechanical issues.

And while prescription pain medication is necessary and beneficial in some cases, such as post-operative recovery and significant trauma, we make efforts to help our patients comfortably transition to non-opioid pain management as soon as possible. This includes management strategies like acupuncture, exercise and movement, medical massage and cupping, physical therapy, cold and heat therapy, lifestyle changes, and much more.

With an aging population experiencing increasing levels of chronic pain, the United States is dominated by corporate, consolidated healthcare providers. But oftentimes, it’s the smaller, boutique healthcare providers that are able to offer the personalized and comprehensive medical attention and treatment needed. Schedule an appointment with us today.