Overcoming Chronic Pain
Acute pain is normal. It alerts a person to injury. But chronic pain is different. Chronic pain persists; pain signals keep firing in the body for weeks, months, or even years.
An initial injury might be the cause for chronic pain, such as an infection or arthritis, but many people have chronic pain without past injury or illness.
Chronic pain might be a headache, lower back pain, cancer pain, arthritis pain, neurogenic pain caused by damage to the nervous system, or psychogenic pain not caused by disease or injury.
People with chronic pain often compare their lives to roller-coaster rides. There are good days, followed by bad days… some worse than others. Pain rarely stays at an even level — it fluctuates. Pain has no boundaries; when one part of the body is in pain, the whole body reacts. Often times pain can become such a “normal” part of their life, it is hard to describe or pinpoint when and where it begins.
Pain may cause someone to cut back on activities and social interactions, to a loss of physical strength, dependency on medications and increased isolation. It’s a combination of events that can lead to depression. A vicious cycle is created when physical, social and emotional deterioration leads to more pain.
If you or someone you car about is suffering from chronic pain, please contact us to review integrative options that may be covered by insurance. We also may be able to find resources within our community.
Treatments Options for Chronic Pain
Chronic pain, for most people, is permanent. They have learned to live with it. Knowing the pain’s cause brings no relief. Doctors tell many patients suffering with chronic pain to simply learn to manage and live with it. This often sounds uncaring and hopeless at first, but unfortunately is a reality in many cases.
It’s important for a patient to learn about chronic pain, take medications wisely, and find a doctor who treats pain seriously and with empathy. Each patient should take control of his pain management and not become dependent on a physician.
Exercise is important even when a person is generally healthy. It becomes imperative when recovering from an illness or injury or suffering with chronic pain or illness.
Thermal therapies (hot packs, ice, cold compresses, contrast baths) are examples of passive treatments a physical therapist will use to help reduce a patient’s pain. Both help reduce muscle spasm and inflammation.
Medications, acupuncture, electrical stimulation, brain stimulation and surgery are some chronic-pain treatments. Some doctors use placebos, which sometimes reduce or eliminate pain.
Psychotherapy, relaxation and medication therapies, biofeedback, and behavior modification may also be used to treat chronic pain.
Integrative Therapy Concepts provides these and several unique therapeutic interventions which can help reduce the severity and duration of pain. While we may not be able to relieve or eradicate the condition or cause, we have been successful in many cases through our integrative approach.
Our Integrative Approach
Integrative Therapy Concepts provides several therapeutic interventions which can help reduce the severity and duration of pain. While we may not be able to relieve or eradicate the condition or cause, we have been successful in many cases through our integrative approach.
Our therapist’s goals for these patients are: relief from pain; decreased impairment; improved function; minimized disability; and self-management education.
Pain management is the primary objective of a therapeutic exercise program. It can help a person sleep more comfortably, function more successfully, and remain physically active.
Stretching and strengthening exercises designed to restore or maintain physical function or counter disease are called rehabilitative exercises. Following periods of disuse, muscle mass and tone decrease, tendons constrict, and joints become more stiff and painful. Rehabilitative exercises work to counteract this weakened state by stretching, strengthening, and restoring mobility to problem areas.
Manual therapies can greatly reduce and relieve adhesions, scars, muscle tension and many other symptoms that are the cause or result of chronic pain. These can include trigger point therapy, shiatsu, myofascial release, deep tissue massage, cranial sacral therapy and many others.
Pain reducing agents or steroids delivered through the skin, in a non-invasive method called iontophoresis, produce an anti-inflammatory effect in the area of pain. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS) unit uses electrical stimulation to inhibit pain by overriding pain signals before they are sent to the brain.
Our Integrative Approach (continued)
Ultrasound can work as a form of deep heating in which sound waves applied to the skin penetrate into the soft tissues. This is especially useful in relieving acute episodes of pain and may enhance tissue healing.
Physical therapists use exercise methods to actively treat pain. When rehabilitative exercises are followed regularly, they can do wonders to stop pain. Communication between patient and physical therapist is important to ensure the best possible exercise program.
Proper nutrition is required in the process of learning to manage pain. Our dietitian sees each patient as a part of our initial assessment. This initial assessment is provided complementary to help us devise the best possible program for your successful outcomes.
Visualization and guided imagery is also very effective in pain management. Stress associated with chronic pain has proven to heighten the severity of pain.
People need to pace activities and exercise so that they gradually build up strength and mobility. Patients should also use proper body mechanics when bending, lifting, or reaching to avoid making the condition worse. Physical therapy includes guidance in these areas.
Physical therapists are knowledgeable in which passive or active treatments work best for the different types of pain. They’ll work closely with a patient to develop the best possible exercise regimen, and will follow each patient through the routine to ensure success
Many people can be helped if they understand the causes of chronic pain and the steps that can be taken to undo what chronic pain has done. Scientists have said that advances in neuroscience will lead to more and better treatments for chronic pain.
Our team of therapists, nutritional counselors,
No comments:
Post a Comment