Earlier this year, professors from LJ University (Ahmedabad, India) and UiT The Arctic University of Norway published a paper connecting stressors on aquatic life with modern healthcare.1 Banerjee and Maric point out that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) accumulate in fish, causing immune compromise, stunted growth, and significant reductions in egg production and hatching.2,3 NSAIDs include popular remedies such as aspirin, ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, Aleve, naproxen, etc. NSAIDs account for more than 15% of all pharmaceuticals detected in aquatic environments.4 The drugs reach nature through human excrement. They prove highly resistant to biodegradation and flow into surface water from the effluent of water treatment plants.5 Who is taking and subsequently excreting all these drugs into our environment? The vast majority of NSAIDs are consumed as part of over-the-counter, self-medication for management of chronic or recurring pain.6
Fortunately, one solution seems readily available. Banerjee and Maric note that research suggests physical therapy can reduce the need for analgesics across a wide range of complaints. In one study of chronic knee pain, patients who did not receive physical therapy demonstrated as much as three times more NSAID use.7 Physical therapists can work with patients to find individualized ways to effectively manage or eliminate chronic pain. This can include taping, bracing, education and strategies, exercise therapy, manual therapy, thermotherapy, and much more.
Of course, reducing pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments and non-pharmacological management of chronic pain would be only one, small, theoretical approach to the much larger problem of threats to aquatic life. However, multifaceted problems may require multifaceted solutions. Physical therapy stands out as a solution that is immediately available and in the patient’s best interest. If you find yourself repeatedly turning to over-the-counter pills to manage the same pain, call us for an evaluation.
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