Pain and physical therapy

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Happy May readers! This month we will be discussing pain. Pain can be labeled as acute or chronic. Acute pain can last less than three months and chronic pain can persist for months even years. Whether your pain is acute or chronic, it can be debilitating and life-altering.

Physical therapy in conjunction with being under the care of an appropriate doctor, can address your pain by improving your body’s mobility, stability and muscle endurance. It can allow you the ability to perform your daily and work-related tasks with less pain and more function.

Physical therapy addresses pain by initially assessing a person to discover the source of their pain. This assessment will allow the therapist to develop an individualized treatment program composed of various exercises, manual techniques and education on how to improve home, gym and/or work environments.

Examples of physical therapy resources:

Targeted exercises – Core stability, muscle endurance, balance, mobility and strength.

Manual techniques – Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (ex: Graston), Negative Pressure Soft Tissue Mobilization (ex: Cupping), joint mobilization and massage.

Education/lifestyle – Educating patients on proper body mechanics, sitting and sleeping positions. Transfers: sit to stand, floor to standing, shower and bed. Posture and workstation setup.

Pain is unique to everyone and everyone responds differently to the pain they experience.

Pain can lead to an active person becoming a couch potato and living a sedentary life which can unfortunately lead to health complications. While persistent pain can be life-altering, physical therapy can shine a light on an injured area and improve your quality of life through exercises, manual techniques and lifestyle changes.

Article provided by NovaCare Rehabilitation national blog with edits from Dr. Samantha Bragg. Call your local NovaCare center today or visit novacare.com for more information about how they can help. You can contact NovaCare Rehabilitation located at the Blueberry Crossing Plaza at 240 South White Horse Pike, Suite C-6 or call (609) 561-5308 or visit novacare.com.