PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — The ever-increasing use of heroin often starts with users getting injured. Whether it be a man in a car crash or a high school athlete, doctors will often prescribe pain medications to these people to help them manage the pain.

Then the pain medicine runs out, but if the pain persists, people often turn to heroin as a cheaper alternative. Dr. Igor Voloshin has seen this happen too often with patients. But unlike an emergency room doctor, Voloshin's job does not entail giving his patients a quick fix for the pain. He treats his patients for the long term.

Dr. Igor Voloshin/Courtesy of Dr. Igor Voloshin "One of the biggest advantages we have over physicians is that we spent much more time with a patient over the course of their treatment than anyone else," Voloshin said at his Woodland Park practice.

Just as the opioid epidemic has taken years to occur, managing pain can take a long time too.

"Overprescription of pain medication has made it a challenge to work with patients who have had pain for a long time," Voloshin said. "As a physical therapist, the big thing I find that works is education and getting patients to understand exactly what the pain is, why they have it and how they can go about treating it without relying on pills."

Voloshin has seen the medical profession switch from prescribing people pain-killers and opioids to providing more long-term pain-management solutions like physical therapy.

"Years ago people were concerned about relieving the person's pain and not thinking about the patient's well being," said Voloshin, who has been a practicing physical therapist for 13 years. "The entire medical profession went that route and said 'first and foremost, let them feel as little pain as possible.'"

Voloshin emphasizes movement with his patients. "We try to get them to focus on what they can do versus what they couldn't do a week ago," Voloshin said. "I try to get them as functional as possible and show them that they can do things without pills."