Benefits of Physical Therapy for Chronic Pain in Canton, CT

Chronic pain is medically defined as pain that lasts longer than 3 months. Unlike acute pain, which goes away in a few days to weeks, chronic pain may persist for months or even years. While chronic pain lasts, it may be recurring or persistent, interfering with your life. Chronic pain may limit your mobility, restrict physical function, and prevent you from participating in activities you once enjoyed. Over time, it reduces your overall quality of life and may cause severe physical and emotional complications. 

Given the adverse effects of chronic pain, physical therapy offers a solution to the constant use of pain medications. This article will explain how physical therapy at BodyFit can help you effectively manage and even alleviate chronic pain in Canton, CT.

Physical Therapy For Chronic Pain

Physical therapy is often a more effective treatment option for chronic pain because it targets the root cause of pain, unlike medications and other treatment options that may only seek to put an end to discomfort. For chronic pain management, physical therapy employs several non-invasive techniques and therapies to address the physical and neurological components of pain. Some of the most common physical therapy techniques that you may encounter while undergoing physical therapy for chronic pain treatment in Canton, CT include:

Manual Therapy

This is one of the most common physical therapy techniques employed by physical therapists. Manual therapy is a hands-on treatment approach that involves kneading, manipulating, and mobilizing joints, muscles, and other body soft tissues to restore the range of motion, treat musculoskeletal pain, and reduce tension and tightness in the connective tissues. During physical therapy for chronic pain management, your physical therapist may employ several manual therapy techniques, including myofascial release, massage therapy, joint mobilization, soft tissue mobilization, trigger point therapy, and other neurodynamic techniques, to reduce muscle/soft tissue stiffness, improve blood circulation, induce relaxation, reduce inflammation, and address other factors that may contribute to chronic pain. 

Theraupetic Exercises

Exercise therapy is one of the most effective physical therapy techniques that can be used for chronic pain management. Therapeutic exercises refer to movements and activities that physical therapists design to restore, maintain, or improve physical function and mobility. These activities and movements aim to improve strength, balance, endurance, stability, and flexibility in people who have lost these components of physical function due to chronic pain or disability. There are several types of therapeutic exercises that your physical therapist may recommend during chronic pain management. Some of these include:

• Aerobic conditioning
• Range of motion exercises
• Strengthening exercises
• Endurance exercises
• Balance training
• Flexibility exercises
• Isometric exercises
• Neuromuscular re-education exercises, etc 

Postural Training

Sometimes, you may develop chronic pain due to poor posture. Therefore, you may need postural training during chronic pain management if you have a bad posture, due to a sedentary lifestyle, improper body mechanics, muscle imbalances, injuries, repetitive motion, and other lifestyle factors. Your physical therapist will assess your posture and movement patterns to determine if you need postural training. If you do need postural training, you will undergo corrective exercises and ergonomic changes to improve your biomechanics, restore proper alignment, and reduce strain on the joints, muscles, and ligaments.

Other Modalities

In addition to several physical therapy techniques, your physical therapist may combine other non-invasive and slightly invasive modalities to manage pain. These modalities can assist in relieving pain and improving function while supporting long-term recovery. Common examples of modalities that your physical therapy may combine with physical therapy techniques for effective treatment include ultrasound therapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), heat therapy, cold therapy, dry needling, biofeedback therapy, etc. 

These are some of the most common components of physical therapy for chronic pain in Canton, CT. These physical therapy techniques and other modalities help to address the root cause of your chronic pain, ensuring that you begin to see positive results after a few sessions.

Common Chronic Pain Conditions Treated with Physical Therapy in Canton, CT

Physical therapy can treat and manage several chronic pain conditions. Some of the most common chronic pain conditions that physical therapy can treat effectively include:

• Chronic back and neck pain: Back and neck pain are some of the most common conditions occurring in people of all ages and genders around the world. Poor posture, injuries, and other conditions like spinal stenosis, herniated discs, muscle strain, ligament sprain, etc can cause chronic back and neck pain. However, physical therapy can help to relieve and manage chronic back and neck pain through therapeutic exercises, postural correction, manual therapy, ergonomic training, etc. 

• Arthritis: This is another major cause of chronic pain and stiffness in the joints. Arthritis is the inflammation of one or more joints due to aging, overuse, or autoimmune conditions. This condition causes severe chronic pain and limits mobility and physical function. However, physical therapy can help you improve your range of motion, strengthen supporting muscles, reduce stress on your joints, and improve mobility and physical function, if you suffer from arthritis.

• Post-surgical rehabilitation: You may experience a painful and slow recovery if you undergo post-surgical recovery without proper rehabilitation. However, physical therapy provides a comprehensive rehabilitation plan that can manage post-surgical pain and make your post-surgical recovery safe and free of complications. 

Other conditions that can benefit from physical therapy include myofascial pain syndrome, fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, etc. 

What Can You Expect During a Physical Therapy Session For Chronic Pain

If you experience pain lasting more than 6 weeks, restricted physical functions, and limited mobility, you may need physical therapy. The following are components of physical therapy that you should expect when you book an appointment with a physical therapist:

• Initial Evaluation: Your first session will begin with your physical therapist assessing your medical history, overall condition, range of motion, pain levels, and other symptoms. 
• Customized Treatment Plan: Your physical therapist will curate a unique and comprehensive treatment plan based on your evaluation results and treatment needs/goals. Your treatment plan will include several physical therapy techniques that will help manage your condition effectively.
• Progress monitoring: Your physical therapist will regularly monitor your progress in between and even after sessions to ensure the effectiveness of your treatment plan. They may also make adjustments to the treatment plan, if need be. 
• Patient Education and self management strategies: In addition to physical therapy sessions, your physical therapist will teach you how to manage pain independently.
  
  

Benefits of Physical Therapy For Chronic Pain

The following are the benefits of undergoing physical therapy in Canton, CT for chronic pain management:

Pain Relief Without Medication

Pain relief medications can also help to manage chronic pain. However, on the long run, they cause more harm than good. Pain relievers do not address the root cause of chronic pain. They only block your pain receptors so that you can no longer feel the pain. Also, with time, you may become used to pain medications that they no longer work as they should. However, physical therapy helps you to avoid all these complications by addressing the root cause of your chronic pain to provide relief and restore function and mobility. 

Improved Mobility and Physical Function

Physical therapy techniques help to improve your movement and ability to perform physical functions while providing pain relief. Physical therapy also reverses the effects of the sedentary lifestyle that chronic pain may have caused you to live.

Prevention of Further Injuries

In addition to pain relief, physical therapy also puts various measures in place to ensure that your chances of developing injuries and other conditions that may cause chronic pain are little to none. Your physical therapist may apply preventive measures, such as postural training, patient education, strengthening exercises, etc, to ensure that you continue to be in good health even after completing physical therapy. 

Long-term Management Strategies

Sometimes, chronic pain conditions do not have a permanent cure. Regardless, physical therapy will not allow you to live the rest of your life in pain. Physical therapists incorporate long-term strategies in your treatment plan to ensure that you can enjoy an active lifestyle while managing your condition effectively.

Improved Mental and Emotional Wellbeing

Chronic pain conditions can affect your mental and emotional health and wellbeing. However, the positive results of physical therapy can help to reverse the damage of chronic pain conditions on your mental and emotional health and even improve your wellbeing drastically.

These and many more are the benefits you stand to gain if you visit our physical therapy clinic in Canton, CT for chronic pain management.

Conclusion

Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that causes severe discomfort, limits mobility, restricts physical function, and reduces your overall quality of life. If you want to be free from chronic pain without using pain relieving medications, you should consider undergoing physical therapy at BodyFit Physical Therapy.