CHRONIC PAIN RELIEF

What is Chronic Pain?

Pain is the body’s normal reaction to an illness or injury. Pain lets you know whenever something is wrong. Typically, when the body has healed, the pain subsides and things should return to normal. However, in some cases, the brain continues to send out pain signals long after the illness or injury is gone. If your pain lasts from 3 to 6 months or more, you could be dealing with chronic pain. When a person hurts day after day, it is common to experience emotional distress as well as physical pain.

Luckily, physical therapy treats chronic pain symptoms. This safe, non-invasive pain relief method targets the root cause of your pain quickly without the use of prescription medication. Contact our physical therapists today to learn more about the benefits of physical therapy for chronic pain at Catalyst PT.

Common Causes of Chronic Pain

Research shows that nearly 80 percent of all adults experience chronic pain at some point in their lives. In the majority of cases, chronic pain symptoms occur in the musculoskeletal system. Chronic pain stems from a number of different conditions and injuries, including the normal aging process, workplace injuries, compression fractures and much more. Some of the most common causes of chronic pain include:

Back Pain

Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons that patients seek medical advice each year in the U.S. Many people experience a back injury from a workplace injury, sports injury or a degenerative disease like sciatica. Low back pain can make it difficult to complete everyday tasks and, if untreated, could lead to severe health complications.

Headaches

Studies also suggest that more than 90 percent of American adults reported a history of headaches. Chronic headaches last anywhere from 2 weeks and up to 3 consecutive months. Typically, tension headaches are the result of stress, but other common causes for chronic headaches include eyestrain, nervous system triggers, enlarged blood vessels and more.

Joint Pain

One of the most common reasons that patients visit our physical therapists each day is due to chronic joint pain. Chronic joint pain is commonly the result of the natural aging process but can also be caused by injury, illness or some type of infection. Some of the most common causes of joint pain include rheumatoid arthritis, tendinitis, inflammation and repetitive motion injuries.

Nerve Pain

Nerve pain results from a variety of different issues but typically stems from some sort of musculoskeletal condition. Anytime that your nerves become damaged, strained or compressed, they can cause acute or long-lasting pain symptoms. Common conditions that can result in chronic nerve pain include sciatica, diabetic neuropathy, degenerative disc disease, carpal tunnel syndrome and postherpetic neuralgia.

How Does Physical Therapy Work to Treat Chronic Pain?

Our experienced physical therapists utilize safe, non-invasive physical therapy techniques to help relieve chronic pain naturally and prevent future injuries. We begin by evaluating each patient to create a personalized treatment program that targets the root cause of your pain. From there, we will guide you through flexibility and strengthening exercises that are designed to ease your discomfort, provide fast pain relief and increase mobility.

Manual therapy techniques make it possible for our physical therapists to use gentle hands-on manipulations that move soft tissues and joint structures to reduce and manage pain. Another hands-on technique that our therapists utilize is trigger point therapy. This is the practice of massaging a pressure point to release tension. Other treatment methods involve the use of heat, electrical stimulation, dry needling, cupping, body mechanics instruction and posture awareness.

Schedule an Appointment Today

If you are living with chronic pain, physical therapy provides a safe, effective, and prescription drug-free healing option. Don’t let one more day pass where you are limited by your chronic pain symptoms. Instead, schedule an appointment with our highly skilled and friendly physical therapists and learn more about how a tailored physical therapy program can help you start on the road to recovery!