How Can Orthopedic PT Help With Chronic Pain?

Living with chronic pain can be debilitating at times. It makes day-to-day life difficult and can drastically affect your mental health. While some days are easier than others, we know that chronic pain can be overwhelming and reduce your quality of life. If you are suffering from chronic pain, discover what Orthopedic Physical Therapy can do to help. At Island Sports Physical Therapy, our devoted physical therapists are committed to providing you with the best care while treating a wide variety of conditions. We’d like to acknowledge Pain Awareness Month and discuss some of the ways we can help your chronic pain. 

What Causes Chronic Pain?

Persistent ongoing pain that lasts longer than 12 weeks is referred to as chronic pain. Chronic pain can occur as the result of several factors, including some of the following:

• Past injury: Untreated traumatic injuries can cause lasting nerve damage, leading to chronic pain.
• Aging: Aging naturally causes degenerative changes in the bones, muscles, ligaments, and joints of the body over time. 
• Poor posture: Over a prolonged period, poor posture can lead to added, uneven strain on the body. 
• Disease: Conditions such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, and Fibromyalgia contribute to symptoms of chronic pain.

Orthopedic Physical Therapy

Like general Physical Therapy, Orthopedic Physical Therapy is a branch of healthcare that deals with pain relief, mobility, and overall helping your body function better. Additionally, orthopedic physical therapy also helps patients while they are recovering from orthopedic surgery. After surgery, physical therapy can be used to help rehabilitate the affected area so that you may regain the functionality of the location. 

Managing Chronic Pain With Orthopedic Physical Therapy

When it comes to treating your chronic pain, the first step is for a therapist to uncover the root cause of the problem. By understanding what is causing your pain, the therapist is better able to help you. Once the problem has been identified, the therapist can establish a treatment plan and help you set realistic recovery goals.

Orthopedic physical therapists use a variety of methods to treat their patients. Among other techniques, some examples of treatment methods used may include:

• Exercise Therapy: Exercise therapy works on enhancing the patient’s strength, balance, and mobility. By reinforcing these fundamental bodily functions, patients who suffer from chronic pain may live more independently.
• Hot/Cold therapy: Hot and cold temperatures on the body are used to treat a patient’s musculoskeletal pain and swelling. They are also used to help muscle damage and soreness.
• Joint Mobilization: This manual technique is used to move your joint through force into the correct position while improving motion and normalizing the joint’s function.
• Soft Tissue Manipulation: This hands-on technique is used to reduce pain and muscle tension by optimizing your muscle functions. One form of soft tissue manipulation is massage. 
• Education: Patients who suffer from chronic pain can benefit from patient education by learning ways to manage their symptoms outside of their therapy sessions. 

Visit Island Sports Physical Therapy Today!

At Island Sports Physical Therapy, we aim to help our patients recover while also providing them with valuable education to help them prevent future injuries. We are devoted to helping each patient find a rehabilitation process that works best for their needs. If you are living with chronic pain, the time to get help is now! With Orthopedic Physical Therapy, we aim to help you live better and feel better by treating your chronic pain symptoms. To get started, schedule an appointment with us by calling or visiting our website today!