October 17, 2024
In 2020, an estimated 54 million adults in the U.S. were living with chronic pain. Over 25 percent of them were treating their pain only with medication, and about 60 percent combined medicine with other treatments.
While many people rely on medication, there's a therapeutic approach that goes beyond just masking the pain. Physical therapy aims to tackle the root cause of chronic discomfort, offering long-term relief.
Chronic pain is more than just an ache that lingers for a while; it’s pain that lasts for three months or more. Some common forms of chronic pain include:
• Neuropathic pain, which can be caused by nerve damage or a malfunctioning nervous system, such as a pinched nerve.
• Musculoskeletal pain, which affects your bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons. Causes include injuries like joint dislocation, aging, or overuse conditions like tendonitis or osteoarthritis.
• Inflammatory pain, which happens in response to tissue damage and inflammation. Common causes include infections, such as shingles, and autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
Medications commonly prescribed for chronic pain management work by limiting your body's ability to feel pain.
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) stop your body from releasing certain enzymes.
• Acetaminophen is thought to block the production of hormone-like substances in the central nervous system that are involved in pain and inflammation.
• Anti-seizure medications quiet pain signals from nerve cells.
• Opioids enable your body to drown out pain by mimicking pain-relieving chemicals called endorphins that are released by your brain. However, opioids carry risks of addiction, overdose, and other serious health issues, and should be used only under medical supervision.
Physical therapy takes a different approach. It attempts to ease pain by remedying its cause.
For example, if back pain is the result of poor posture or weak core muscles, a physical therapist can guide you through exercises to help you correct your posture and strengthen your muscles, which can reduce or eliminate the pain completely.
A review of studies indicated that the early use of physical therapy for conditions like lower back pain and joint pain reduces the likelihood of using opioid prescriptions. Research has also shown physical therapy to be effective in treating chronic knee pain, pelvic pain, and pain caused by sciatica. The evidence supporting physical therapy’s effectiveness is so strong that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends it as one of the first approaches for treating pain.
Your first appointment with a physical therapist will likely include:
Once your therapist has evaluated you, they will work with you to develop realistic and attainable goals for your therapy and a customized treatment plan you can follow to attain them. In most cases, your treatment plan will include exercises and stretches that you’ll do during your session and at home. Massage therapy may also be recommended.
Some treatment plans may also include:
• Ultrasound, which provides deep heating to soft tissues
• Dry needling, which involves using small needles (such as acupuncture needles) to pierce muscle tissue and knots and relieve pain
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, which uses electricity to decrease pain signals coming from your body to your brain
• Pain neuroscience education, which helps you understand why you have pain, how your pain might behave, and what you can do to take control of it
Physical therapy offers a proactive approach to managing chronic pain by addressing its root causes rather than just masking the symptoms with pain medications. If you’re experiencing persistent pain, consider giving physical therapy a try. It may be able to help you reduce your reliance on medications or eliminate them altogether. Just remember to discuss any new treatment plans with your primary care provider before you get started.
