Does Chronic Pain Have You Sitting on the Sidelines? PT Can Help You Get Back On The Field!
There are few things more frustrating than finding yourself unable to be active. Whether it is due to an injury, illness, aging, or inactivity, when your body no longer lets you do the things you love it can be upsetting, to say the least. Chronic pain, long-standing pain lasting beyond normal healing times, is a common reason people choose to reduce or stop their favorite activities. In the US, up to 20% of adults suffer from some form of chronic pain. Fortunately, for most people, physical therapy offers an effective solution to get you off the sidelines and back to living the life you love.
How Physical Therapy Can Help You
Regain your cardiovascular fitness
Chronic pain can cause even the most motivated person to slow down or stop moving altogether. Even when your muscles, joints, and bones are healed, you may find that your cardiovascular fitness is lacking after being stuck on the sidelines for an extended period of time. This can be serious because if your heart and lungs are suffering, your overall health will as well.
Physical therapists are skilled in prescribing individualized fitness plans that can help you gradually improve your cardiovascular health so that your heart and lungs can keep up with your body and your lifestyle.
Experience less discomfort and pain
Chronic pain springs up for a variety of reasons – you might have a chronic condition, or you may have hurt yourself at work or in an accident – but it is well-understood that improving mobility and strength can lessen pain. Because chronic pain affects the brain and nervous system differently than acute pain, your physical therapist works to get to the root cause of the pain. After identifying the source of the pain, your therapist will create a plan to reduce your discomfort, help you understand your pain response, AND get you moving.
True, it may hurt more at first to move through your exercises, however, you will typically find that a short time after you complete them you will experience less pain than you did before. A physical therapist can also use tools like dry needling and electrical stimulation to reduce your pain. Imagine how good it will feel to look back at where you started and see all the progress you have made!
Improve your mobility levels
We’re human, and we need to be able to get up and move around! However, if you’re experiencing chronic pain, that movement can be painful, awkward, and at times maybe even fear-inducing. A physical therapist can guide you through exercises that will improve your strength and increase your flexibility so that you can have an easier time walking, standing, and moving about.
If your injury or illness reduced your mobility it was likely due to loss of strength and flexibility – things that physical therapy is perfectly designed to improve. And if you need an assistive device such as a cane or crutch, your physical therapist can help fit them to your body so they are more comfortable and train you in how to use them for maximum benefit.
Bounce back quicker after injury
Did you know that you may unknowingly learn compensatory movements after an injury that help you avoid pain and discomfort, but cause further damage to your body? The brain and body are masters at finding a way to get a job done. A good example of this is someone who injures their leg and develops a limp. Without intervention, the body/brain may continue to avoid properly bearing weight on it for years to come. The end result of an injury can often be that you have trouble with mobility long after the initial damage has healed.
Some injuries happen suddenly, like slipping and falling, while others happen gradually over time, such as carpal tunnel or tennis elbow. Given the right treatment, muscles can heal and bones can mend, but you may still be left with issues related to your movement. Physical therapists can expertly train you and your body to perform movements correctly again and avoid long-term compensations and limitations.
Physical therapy offers an effective solution to get you off the sidelines
If you have chronic pain, you don’t need to settle for a life of inactivity. And you don’t need to turn to harmful medications for pain relief. You also don’t have to rely on expensive, intensive surgeries, either. Physical therapy is a much safer, healthier option, and can benefit you more than you probably realize!
Let HealthQuest help you get back in the game. Schedule your free assessment today!
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