How Physical Therapy Can Help Chronic Pain
Physical therapy's primary goal is to help patients with pain management, allowing them to live as normally as possible.
Scientific studies estimate that at least 20% of U.S. citizens experience chronic pain. This painful condition can be treated with medication, lifestyle, and physical therapy. Physical therapy's primary goal is to help patients with pain management, allowing them to live as normally as possible.
Let's discuss how physical therapy can help with chronic pain.
What is chronic pain?
Chronic pain is a condition that can last for months, even years, and can happen to any part of the body. Typical forms of chronic pain include arthritis, neck pain, migraines, muscle pain, back pain, and similar. It can either persist or "wax and wane" over time.
Chronic pain usually results from injury, surgery, illness, or a chronic disorder. Sometimes, patients have chronic pain for no apparent reason. It can be mild or severe, preventing patients from engaging in everyday activities. For this reason, chronic pain usually leads to anxiety, depression, fatigue, and insomnia.
There are different ways to treat chronic pain, depending on the type of pain and what's causing it. A few practical ways to treat chronic pain include medication, changing one's lifestyle, and physical therapy.
Here are the most common benefits of physical therapy for chronic pain.
Pain management
Various low-impact and high-impact exercises and stretches can help reduce chronic pain by targeting the area under strain. The patient usually starts with short exercises lasting 10 to 20 seconds. After each session, the patient will notice the pain gradually reduces.
Improved movement
Aside from pain management, the main goal of physical therapy is to improve motion. Depending on which body part hurts, your physical therapist will determine which exercises will help restore that body part's natural maneuverability.
Increased strength and flexibility
Physical therapy helps strengthen the patient's muscles, which allows them to be more flexible. In addition, if the chronic pain affects the patient's posture and balance, some exercises can help restore them.
Getting informed
Another important aspect of physical therapy is becoming informed about this condition. Knowing why you have chronic pain and what's the best way to deal with it helps manage anxiety. Moreover, patients can do specific exercises independently or when they can't visit the physical therapy clinic.
Passive therapy
Patients with chronic pain can also benefit from passive physical therapy, which can take the form of massages, acupuncture, and applying heat or ice to the injured area. Massages improve blood flow and reduce tension, which can help minimize the pain. Heat and ice can also help with pain management while decreasing inflammation.
Treat chronic pain with physical therapy
Even though there are no cures for chronic pain, physical therapy can significantly reduce its effects. Patients with chronic pain can benefit from physical therapy in numerous ways. It can improve their strength, restore mobility, flexibility, and posture, and help them engage in everyday activities.
If you're experiencing chronic pain, seek medical attention to start physical therapy as soon as possible.
Liberated Rehabilitation is a mobile physical therapy service in the Phoenix metro area specializing in fully personalized in-home physical therapy. We provide tailored physical therapy in the home or work setting for faster, better recovery. Call (602)755-2276 to schedule an appointment.
