A Modern Approach to Treating Chronic Pain
Many of
us are forced to deal with
chronic pain on a daily basis, and if we don’t deal
with it directly then we have friends, family and coworkers that do. Chronic
pain is a condition that directly affects approximately 100 million Americans.
Classically, pain has been viewed
as a conscious motivator to protect our body. Basically, it is a warning system
to alert us to tissue damage. However, this view of pain may be too simplistic.
Pain
has ties to both internal and external stimuli. For example, if you have a
terrible day at work and come home in a bad mood just to stub your toe, then
you will perceive your pain to be more severe. But, if on that same day you are
given a promotion and substantial raise, then the stubbed toe will not cause
you to perceive the same level of pain. What this boils down to is that pain is
not merely a physical experience. While the physical aspect of pain is a large
component we must understand the emotional, social, and cognitive aspects of
pain. Here at PTW, we have the background and
knowledge necessary to
best understand and create
an individualized approach to managing pain.
Perhaps
our greatest tool as physical therapists is education. We have a responsibility
to educate our patients so they better understand what chronic pain is and what
we can do to help manage it. There are real changes in neural pathways that
promote the perception of pain despite the absence of painful stimuli. What
this means is that we become sensitized to pain over time. As physical
therapists, it is our duty to guide our patients and give them the tools
necessary to help manage their pain. In order to better understand and develop
an individualized treatment approach to managing your chronic pain, then you
must consider consulting a physical therapist to help improve your quality of
life through restored function.
Resources: http://www.painmed.org/patientcenter/facts_on_pain.aspx
PTW’s Christian Barrett, DPT provides expert clinical care and is a vestibular specialist/TPI certified PT at our Lansdale Clinic, located on South Broad Street. For
an initial evaluation, call Christian at 215-855-9871 today for an appointment as soon as possible, no prescription needed!
