How Physical Therapy Can Help You Have a Pain-Free 2018

Frequent or chronic pain affects millions of Americans every year, but many people don’t understand the important role of physical therapy in relieving pain. Using a variety of techniques, physical therapists can help relieve pain with or without the use of medicine.

If you experience chronic pain and are looking for a safe, drug-free solution, you should speak to a physical therapist about treatments such as:

Manual Therapy

During manual therapy, your physical therapist can loosen up muscles and improve circulation. Manual therapy techniques can help with pain caused by arthritis, muscle tightness, TMJ or injuries.

Your physical therapist may also perform myofascial release during therapy. Fascia, the connective tissue in your body, can become tight after injuries, repetitive motions, surgeries or more. Your physical therapy can stretch out this fascia, releasing tightness and pressure that can cause chronic pain.

Dry Needling

Dry needling helps with myofascial pain (pain in the tissues that connect your bones and muscles) and is used for a variety of problems from back pain to TMJ. During this treatment, your specially trained physical therapist places needles in trigger points where pain begins. After a few appointments, you should experience less chronic pain.

Exercise

Strength building and flexibility exercises can help relieve musculoskeletal pain, especially in your back. Stronger muscles help lower your risk for injury, improve your posture, and generally reduce soreness and achiness.

Your physical therapist can create a customized exercise program to help you safely build strength and improve the health of your muscles.

Orthotics

Orthotics are specialized shoe inserts, braces, and more that can help prevent pain in your feet, ankles, and knees. Orthotics work by supporting your feet and helping you distribute your weight over your entire foot. It can improve how you walk and stand, preventing pain. Your physical therapist can custom fit you for orthotics that will help with your needs.

Strain Counterstrain

Strain counterstrain therapy helps relax tightened muscles and relieve pain by shutting down abnormal nerve impulses. During this therapy, your physical therapist will move your body into positions that feel comfortable for you and then hold your body in that position for 90 seconds. Holding the positions can help reset nerve impulses to stop pain.

At Bon Secours, our expert physical therapists use a wide range of services to help relieve pain and prevent injuries. Contact us today to find out how you can experience less pain in 2018.