Pain Relief

Physical Therapist’s Guide to Pain

The International Association for the Study of Pain has defined pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.” This definition indicates that pain may result from actual injury to a tissue (ie, bone, muscle, tendon, etc) or the potential for injury to a tissue. Whether actual or potential damage has occurred, however, people will experience pain as real.

How Physical Therapists Manage Pain

As America combats a devastating opioid epidemic, safer, non-opioid treatments have never been of greater need.

Physical therapy is among the safe, effective alternatives recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in guidelines urging the avoidance of opioids for most pain treatment.

Whereas opioids only mask the sensation of pain, physical therapists treat pain through movement.

Here’s how:

  1. Exercise. A study following 20,000 people over 11 years found that those who exercised on a regular basis, experienced less pain. And among those who exercised more than 3 times per week, chronic widespread pain was 28% less common1. Physical therapists can prescribe exercise specific to your goals and needs.
  2. Manual Therapy. Research supports a hands-on approach to treating pain. From carpal tunnel syndrome2 to low back pain3, this type of care can effectively reduce your pain and improve your movement. Physical therapists may use manipulation, joint and soft tissue mobilizations, and dry needling, as well as other strategies in your care.
  3. Education. A large study conducted with military personnel4 demonstrated that those with back pain who received a 45 minute educational session about pain, were less likely to seek treatment than their peers who didn’t receive education about pain. Physical therapists will talk with you to make sure they understand your pain history, and help set realistic expectations about your treatment.
  4. Teamwork. Recent studies have shown that developing a positive relationship with your physical therapist and being an active participant in your own recovery can impact your success. This is likely because physical therapists are able to directly work with you and assess how your pain responds to treatment.

Read more about Pain and Chronic Pain Syndromes.

The American Physical Therapy Association launched a national campaign to raise awareness about the risks of opioids and the safe alternative of physical therapy for long-term pain management. Learn more at our #ChoosePT page.

References

1. Holth 
HS, Werpen HK, Zwart JA, Hagen K. Physical inactivity is associated with chronic musculoskeletal complaints 11 years later: results from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2008;9:159. Free Article.

2. Fernández-de-las Peñas C, Ortega-Santiago R, de la Llave-Rincón AI, et al. Manual physical therapy versus surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized parallel-group trial. J Pain. 2015;16(11):1087–1094. Article Summary in PubMed.

3. Delitto A, George SZ, Dillen LV, et al. Low back pain. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2012;42(4):A1–A57. Free Article.

4. George SZ, Childs JD, Teyhen DS, et al. Brief psychosocial education, not core stabilization, reduced incidence of low back pain: results from the Prevention of Low Back Pain in the Military cluster randomized trial. BMC Med. 2011;9:128. Free Article.

Author: Joseph Brence, PT, DPT, FAAOMPT, COMT, DAC

7 Staggering Statistics About America’s Opioid Epidemic

America’s prescription opioid epidemic is a topic of national news.

How bad is the problem? Here are some statistics via The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which released guidelines in March 2016 encouraging health care providers to try safer alternatives like physical therapy for most pain management:

  1. In 2012, health care providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for opioid pain medication, enough for every American adult to have their own bottle of pills.
  2. As many as 1 in 4 people who receive prescription opioids long term for noncancer pain in primary care settings struggles with addiction.
  3. Sales of prescription opioids have nearly quadrupled since 1999.
  4. Deaths related to prescription opioids have quadrupled.
  5. Heroin-related overdose deaths more than quadrupled between 2002 and 2014, and people addicted to prescription opioids are 40 times more likely to be addicted to heroin.
  6. More than 165,000 persons in the United States have died from opioid pain-medication-related overdoses since 1999.
  7. Every day, more than 1,000 people are treated in emergency departments for misusing prescription opioids.

Do you know someone in pain? Encourage them to talk to their physician or physical therapist about safe ways to manage pain.

The American Physical Therapy Association launched a national campaign to raise awareness about the risks of opioids and the safe alternative of physical therapy for long-term pain management. Learn more at our #ChoosePT page.