Traditionally the military has relied on medical care consisting of pain killers to treat things such as post traumatic stress disorder. According to a recent study conducted by the American Medical Association these prescriptions were “inappropriate” and a misguided attempt to ease these soldiers pain. The good news is that change is eminent. The military is expanding its use of alternate treatments like chiropractic care. An article entitled Military Seeks Better Alternatives for Treating Pain Among Vets and Troops states that Dr. Robert D. Kerns the national program director for pain management at the Dept. of Veteran affairs told the NY Times that the study “encourages” his department as well as the Pentagons health system “to build on our existing initiatives.” There have been multiple reports from multiple Veterans affair hospitals of examples of over prescribing opiates. In 2013 a study published in the reputable medical journal “Spine” found almost 75% of participating active duty military patients with low back pain receiving a combination of chiropractic care and standard medical care reported moderate to complete resolution of their pain as opposed to 17% receiving standard medical care alone.
