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Physical Therapy: A Holistic Approach to Pain Relief

Physical Therapy: A Holistic Approach to Pain Relief

Discover How You Can Relieve Your Aches and Pains with Safe and Natural Treatments!

Pain is a serious problem in the world today. It is estimated that 1 in every 5 Americans suffer from some degree of chronic pain, and 8% of those sufferers find the pain so intense that they can’t carry out their normal activities.

It’s no wonder, then, that painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs have become such a mammoth industry. Unfortunately, these drugs offer their own share of problems, from addiction to dangerous effects on internal organs.

Many people are now looking for effective pain relief that doesn’t come from a bottle of pills. If you’re one of those people, you should discover the amazing healing benefits of physical therapy.

Physical therapy can be the convervative treatment method you’ve been looking for

Physical therapy offers numerous advantages as a safe, effective, all-natural pain management tool. A physical therapist takes each individual’s symptoms (and those symptoms’ underlying causes) into account when devising a physical therapy plan for pain management.

Your plan might include modalities such as:

  • A soothing combination of heat therapy and cryotherapy
  • Chiropractic adjustment to help joints move more freely and correct painful musculoskeletal imbalances
  • Electrical nerve stimulation to interrupt pain signals
  • Cold laser therapy and/or massage therapy to boost circulation, relax tissues and reduce inflammation
  • Resistance training exercises to strengthen muscles, making physical actions less of a strain
  • Aerobic exercises to get the blood flowing and encourage joint lubrication

Physical therapy appears to have one more major contribution to make toward freeing pain sufferers from their symptoms.

Some physical therapists have adopted “brain-rewiring” techniques such as graded motor imagery to help patients develop a new perception of their pain – one that allows them to master and minimize their responses to it. This form of physical therapy seeks to give individuals more control over their pain so that they can tolerate more exercise, which then reduces the pain even more.

Physical therapy can do more than just help you feel better. By providing you with non-pharmaceutical pain control measures, this form of care can help you steer clear of the side effects of prescription and non-prescription drugs.

Better yet, you’re going beyond the temporary numbing of your symptoms by actually treating the underlying causes of those symptoms. Why settle for the illusion of relief when you can have the real thing – and improve your health and functionality in the process?

Why pain management drugs shouldn’t be the answer

A variety of over-the-counter and prescription medications promise temporary relief of pain and inflammation. Steroids do this by suppressing the immune system for people with painful autoimmune disorders (such as rheumatoid arthritis). However, the same immune suppression power also makes the body more vulnerable to infection.

Long-term use of steroids has also been associated with cataracts, glaucoma, hypertension, water retention, acne, high blood sugar, and osteoporosis. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) block the production of inflammatory chemicals in the body. These drugs are not necessarily safe, either. In some individuals, NSAIDs can cause stomach bleeding and kidney damage. They have also been known to be associated with elevated risks of heart attack or stroke.

Perhaps the most ominous danger arises from opioid drugs. The problem is, opioid medications:

  • Are associated with an increased risk of uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms and depression
  • Only hide symptoms of pain—they don’t address the underlying causes, which makes opioids less cost-effective over time
  • Can be highly addictive

It’s believed that some 2 million Americans suffer from an opioid use disorder such as addiction. These potent drugs alone caused more than 70,000 fatal overdoses in 2017. Additionally, as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 130 people die from opioid overdoses every day in the U.S. Some of these deaths may have been related to recreational drug use, but more than 60% of the deceased were chronic pain sufferers.

Find the answers to your pain relief questions with physical therapy

Your physical therapist will be happy to create a pain management program for your specific needs. Please contact Cornerstone Physical Therapy today for a consultation!

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