Helena Johnson, Vigor Buddy | You feel pain, so you take a painkiller. But what happens when you feel pain constantly?
Chronic pain can result from several conditions, and most physicians hardly hesitate to prescribe painkillers, including opioids, to patients who are suffering. It is easier to take the drugs to manage your pain – but often, that does little more than mask your discomfort. Though in certain circumstances – for cancer treatment, end-of-life care, and palliative care – medication is imperative, in most cases, pain is better managed by physical therapy.
Chronic pain doesn’t have to last forever; with the right therapies, you can end your pain sooner and return to a normal lifestyle. There are dozens of reasons why movement is more advantageous than prescription pills, and there are dozens of ways to apply physical therapy to your specific type of pain.
When Physical Therapy Works
There are four situations in which physical therapy should function as the primary method of pain management and treatment:
When prescription painkillers are dangerous. Because they are powerful drugs, opioids and other common painkillers boast numerous side effects and unsafe drug interactions. Plus, opioids can inspire their own spate of painful diseases, such as addiction and depression. Finally, withdrawal from opioids can be life-threatening. As you might expect, many doctors are reluctant to prescribe risky painkillers to certain patients, so these patients must turn to physical therapy for relief.
When pain results from physical conditions. Physical injuries or diseases respond best to physical treatments. For example, if you suffer from back pain, you will most benefit by back-focused physical therapy for pain management. Osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and similar conditions that produce pain due to the physical breakdown of the body can improve most dramatically through physical therapy.
When physical therapy can improve mobility. Chronic pain sufferers often become immobile due to their fear or experience of pain. In fact, pain can dramatically reduce quality of life, forcing sufferers to stay inactive and inside at all times. Physical therapy can help you find physical solutions to your pain, so you can regain mobility and recover a high quality of life.
Chronic pain can arise from myriad sources. Sometimes, chronic pain develops after a traumatic injury; sometimes pain advances with a disease; and sometimes pain emerges without an obvious cause. Everyone’s pain is different, which means everyone’s pain deserves a unique and targeted management and treatment plan – ideally one that includes physical therapy.
How Physical Therapy Works
Physical therapy should be a mandatory element of pain management because it can be highly specialized to help sufferers address difficult and important effects of their pain. Rather than merely masking the pain behind pharmaceuticals, physical therapy identifies pain triggers and improves the body’s ability to cope with them. If you integrate physical therapy into your pain management plan, you will likely add the following to your pain treatment:
- Exercise. An enormous study following 20,000 subjects for 11 years discovered that regular exercise reduces the likelihood of experiencing pain. You can begin an exercise regimen to accomplish your physical and mental goals with the help of a trained physical therapist.
- Manual therapy. A literal hands-on approach to pain management, manual therapy consists of physical therapists manipulating and mobilizing your body with their own power. Many chronic pain sufferers find great relief in treatments like massage and dry needling, both of which can break up tense tissue that causes pain and draw healthy circulation to atrophied areas of the body.
- Education. The more you know about how your body works and what it needs, the more capable you are of establishing a healthy baseline and eradicating pain. Plus, patients who are more educated about pain are more efficient at addressing their own needs without help from expensive pain specialists. Thus, physical therapy, which tends to have built-in educational opportunities, is ideal for chronic pain sufferers.
Though most physical therapy includes these vital elements, not every physical therapy is equal. Your first goal should be to find a physical therapy provider experienced not only with chronic pain but also your precise condition. Then, you will endure less trial and error as your therapist works toward a treatment plan that accomplishes your goals. It is important to remember that physical therapy won’t immediately cure your chronic pain, but it should alleviate some harmful effects of your pain over time. The more committed you are to your physical therapy, the sooner and more certainly your quality of life will improve.