Physical Therapy is a great conservative means of pain management for various acute and chronic conditions prior to the use of medications, procedures, and surgeries. Physical therapy (PT) involves the treatment, healing, and prevention of injuries or disabilities and is used to help relieve pain, promote healing, and restore function and movement.
PT is practiced by a professionally trained physical therapist, and although some states are now direct access (patients can go directly to a Physical Therapist without a Doctors’ diagnosis and referral), in Oklahoma, PT requires the referral of a doctor.
Your therapist may focus on decreasing pain with either passive or active therapy. Examples of passive physical therapy include:
Manual therapy
Massage
Heat/ice packs
Electrical Stimulation
TENS units
Ultrasound
Examples of active physical therapy include:
Stretching
Strengthening exercises
Pain relief exercises
Low-impact aerobic conditioning
It’s important to remember that each individual responds differently to physical therapy. Your response to PT depends on your age, state of current health, degree of injury or chronic condition, different patterns of movement, different alignments, different habits, and most of all, your motivation to get well and your compliance to the plan of care. Physical therapists and their trained staff can monitor each individual and attempt to correct improper habits, alignments and movement patterns.
If you are experiencing pain from a recent injury or an old chronic condition, try physical therapy before taking medications or other drastic measures.
