If you are experiencing pain while doing usual daily tasks and recreational creativities, maybe physical therapy is just what you need. Especially tailored by a licensed therapist, physical therapy encompasses a wide range of treatment procedures that address movement discomforts.

Comfort Home Health Agency in Pinellas, Florida, offers one of the best In-home rehabilitation services available in Pinellas/Pasco.    An effective treatment should include a deliberate medical assessment to allow the physical therapist to make an efficient long-term healthcare solution. The company assures this is achieved by hiring the best professionals and acquiring state-of-the-art equipment.

A lot of Americans suffer from chronic pain. These are pain that lingers for weeks, if not months or years. At first, chronic pain only limits one’s physical ability but could also influence mental health over time. That is why one must ensure that a pain management plan is in place early to mitigate and cure the aching and disease. 

Some people might choose pharmaceutical drugs to ‘treat’ their pain. However, this may not always be the best remedy. Considering a physical therapy treatment might just be the solution you’re looking for. It helps address the body pain through specific and calculated movements to effectively address long-term pain management. It also does not include harmful side effects that could arise from using drugs.

What is Physical Therapy?

Physical therapy dramatically helps in alleviating pain caused by injuries or diseases. It helps restore and improve one’s health, particularly in the ability to move, manage pain, pain relief, ease flexibility, and prevent future problems. Therapy of this kind involves a series of procedures that need to be followed to get the best and most sustainable results. 

Educated and trained physical therapists are in charge of structuring treatment plans. Their main goal is to aid the client in achieving their fitness goals which could mean regaining independence from the type pain, leading active, healthy lives to live a quality life.

This treatment procedure is not a one-size-fits-all; it varies depending on what the body needs, which is why it is vital to get checked first before proceeding with movement-based exercises.

Physical therapy is one of the leading treatment plans in pain management. Relief from discomforts using physical rehabilitation relies upon the idea that all forces in the human body affect and influence each other.

Take note, however, that physical therapy is different from physiotherapy. The former tends to rely more on exercise for treatment, while the latter uses electrical stimulation to reduce pain and improve blood flow. Electrical stimulation includes dry needling, muscle knot, and acupuncture. In some cases, however, a rehabilitation professional may also use these in their treatment.

Physical Therapy Benefits for Pain Treatment

Movement-based therapies, like physical therapy, generally benefit our overall well-being. Apart from being an effective pain management instrument, they also help in:

• Avoiding surgery
• Improving mood
• Improving blood pressure
• Bone density
• Improving movement and mobility
• Improving balance
• Managing age-related health problems
• Recovering from stroke
• Recovering from trauma or injury

With these said, movement experts commonly use physical therapy to improve conditions such as:

• Cardiopulmonary (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, post-myocardial infarction heart failure)
• Trigger finger
• Pediatric (e.g., muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy)
• Sports-related injuries
• Musculoskeletal conditions (e.g., rotator cuff tears, back pain)
• Skin injuries
• Pelvic floor dysfunction (e.g., lymphedema, urinary incontinence)
• Neurological (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, stroke, vestibular dysfunction)

How Does It Work?

The attending physical therapist will assess your needs first. They will examine you by asking questions about your pain, discomfort, ability to move, or simply your medical history. They do this to determine your health condition and its causes properly. During these measures, they might check for the following:

• Ability to move around, bend, and reach
• Posture 
• Heartbeat
• How well you walk
• How well do you climb steps

With such information, your physical therapist would be able to create a plan that is helpful for pain management. They will coordinate with you regarding personal objectives such as being able to move around more, improve your mental health, or just feel better.

Treatments may vary from case to case. But, physical therapy pain management modalities can be categorized into passive and active PT.

Active PT

This treatment requires the patient’s active participation with the attending therapist’s assistance.

1. Range-of-motion exercises. These exercises will aid in moving the limb at a better range of motion.
2. McKenzie approach: This pain management technique focuses on advancing the pain away from the arm or leg and centralizing it to the back, where it is more tolerable.
3. Dynamic lumbar stabilization: Improves back and neck pain
4. Aquatic exercise
5. General and targeted conditioning

Passive PT

Unlike the active PT, this technique requires the patient to stay still while the therapist applies the treatment.

1. Ultrasound
2. Laser therapy
3. Massage therapy
4. Iontophoresis: reduces inflammation and pain
5. Application of heat or/ and cold

Physical Therapy is Better than Taking Opioids

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that nonpharmacological treatment, like physical therapy, effectively manages chronic pain. It is further said that exercise therapy improves chronic low back pain, enhances function, lessens osteoarthritis of the hip and knee pain, and alleviates fibromyalgia symptoms, among others.

Opioid intake is not for all. CDC prescribed its use only for some instances like cancer treatment, end-of-life care, and palliative care, among others. 

Unlike opioids, physical therapy doesn’t aim to stop the pain temporarily – it is a long, continuous process that must be maintained, making it one of the most effective and sustainable pain management techniques. Moreover, overreliance on drugs like opioids could affect one’s well-being.

To wrap up, if you’re having movement pain and discomfort, you could give physical therapy a shot. This pain management modality has been tested and proven effective in improving such conditions and also helps prevent them from happening. 

In looking for a physical therapist, please make sure they offer services that include hands-on care and patient education, for these two are critical in improving your well-being and sustaining them. Comfort Home Health Agency integrates these two characteristics in creating physical treatment plans, aiming to offer the best possible rehabilitation services.