Tuesday, March 22, 2016

A Modern Approach to Treating Chronic Pain



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!