-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS FOR PAIN LEADING TO ALARMING RISE IN DEATHS
Physical Therapy an Alternative to the High Risks of Methadone
Tallahassee, Florida, August 18, 2008 – A recent investigative report1 published in the New York Times highlights the alarming increase in methadone prescriptions for the treatment of chronic spinal pain. The result has been a shocking increase in methadone related deaths. Physical therapists can play a role in providing patients and physicians with an alternative to dangerous pain medications like oxycodone and methadone. Methadone was once limited to use in addiction treatment centers to replace heroin, but today it is frequently given out by physicians to manage spine and joint pain. The Drug Enforcement Administration noted that from 1998 to 2006, the number of methadone prescriptions increased by 700 percent. “Many legitimate patients, following the direction of their doctor, have run into trouble with methadone, including death,” noted pain specialist Dr. Howard A. Heit from Georgetown University. Florida alone, which keeps detailed data, listed methadone as a cause in 785 deaths in 2007, up from 367 in 2003. “These are senseless deaths,” said Dr. Timothy Flynn of Regis University in Denver, CO, and President of the
American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT). “Patients should be aware that these medications are not the best option to reduce the symptoms of spinal pain. Research has shown that early movement and treatments like exercise and spinal manipulation offer strong benefits to spine pain and disability.” “The medical management of spinal pain in this country is a failure,” continued Flynn, “we too often initiate prescription drug therapy before choosing safe and effective alternatives.” Flynn suggests that patients seek out physical therapists as a first-line treatment for these conditions.

A February 2008 report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that from 1997 to 2005, pharmaceutical expenditures for the management of low back pain increased by 171% while the rate of good outcomes fell. "All the imaging we do, all the drug treatments, all the injections, all the operations have some benefit for some patients,” said Richard A. Deyo, a physician at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland and a coauthor of the report. “But I think in each of those situations we've begun using those tests or treatments more widely than science would really support." For more on the benefits physical therapists can provide in the management of spinal pain, contact your nearest physical therapist or visit the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists website at www.aaompt.org. AAOMPT represents physical therapists by promoting excellence in orthopaedic manual physical therapy practice, education and research.

Dr. Richard Deyo, MD, MPH will be the key note speaker at AAOMPT’s Annual Conference in Seattle this November. The conference theme will focus on pain management and physical therapists’ role in this important area of care.

CONTACT: Timothy Flynn, PT, PhD
President, American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists
Phone: 303-964-5137
tflynn@regis.edu
www.aaompt.org

President Signs Bill Extending Student Loan Aid to PTs

On July 31, Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation to expand an
existing program under the Department of Education that will provide
eligibility for student loan repayment for physical therapists that
practice with children, adolescents, or veterans. This provision was
part of a comprehensive reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
Reauthorization is the process by which Congress prescribes changes,
additions, and deletions to meet evolving needs of current programs
(such as education). The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HR 4137) also
includes extensive provisions that impact student loans, accreditation
of physical therapy education programs, and other programs for
universities and graduate schools. This legislation was signed by the
President today.

Please note - application for loan repayment is not yet available. The
Department of Education will issue regulations that will provide
physical therapists with the eligibility to apply and compete for
student loan repayment up to $2,000 per year for up to 5 years. The
legislation specifies that the physical therapist must practice in an
identified area of need and with children, adolescents, or veterans.
This will be a competitive process with a number of other professionals
eligible for this program. This is one step in APTA's comprehensive
legislative agenda to provide physical therapists with student loan
repayment opportunities and separate from the Physical Therapists
Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act (HR 1134 / S. 2485), which would
provide student loan repayment for service in the National Health
Service Corp.

This was a significant legislative victory for APTA and its advocates.
In early 2007, APTA worked with the US House Committee on Education and
Labor to add physical therapists to this section of the legislation to
reauthorize the Higher Education Act. Congressman Joe Sestak (D-PA)
offered the addition of physical therapists to this section of HR 4137
on the floor of the US House, and this amendment passed on unanimous
consent. Representative Sestak represents suburban Philadelphia, a
district with a high number of physical therapist students and faculty
from education programs in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Representative
Sestak felt so strongly about the need for student loan repayment as a
tool for the recruitment and retention of physical therapists that he
highlighted the issue in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Senate did not include a specific listing of professions in its
version of the legislation, so APTA advocated for inclusion of the House
provision in the House-Senate conference report. In mid July, the final
conference agreement included the House provision.