Table of Contents
- What Is Chronic Pain?
- Common Causes
- How Is Chronic Pain Treated?
- Manage Chronic Pain With Physiotherapy
- What Happens Inside the Clinic?
People with chronic (long-term) pain often use physiotherapy to improve their quality of life. An expert in pain physiotherapy can build a treatment plan to assist individuals with chronic pain and help them acquire the skills necessary to manage their condition – and improve their function and mobility.
What Is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is pain which remains beyond the typical healing period. It differs from acute pain, which is the body’s warning mechanism when anything is amiss. Chronic pain is a complicated disorder that extends beyond a basic nervous system issue; acute pain is a normal reaction to trauma or tissue damage.
Common Causes
In certain instances, persistent pain can linger after an accident, surgery or severe illness. However, there are instances of persistent pain with no obvious explanation. Chronic pain is frequent in specific conditions including:
- Lower back discomfort
- Arthritis
- Fibromyalgia
- Nerve injury
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Shingles
- Headaches
How Is Chronic Pain Treated?
Despite the importance of treating the underlying illness linked with chronic pain, chronic pain is not always eliminated. These days, doctors propose treating persistent pain as a disorder; consequently, chronic pain management takes into account both physical and mental wellness.
A treatment strategy for chronic pain may involve a variety of manual treatments – such as massage or acupuncture – to alleviate discomfort and assist with the mobilization of the afflicted region. Gentle workouts such as swimming or walking are great for keeping muscles flexible and preventing stiffness. A physiotherapist guides mobility and posture, plus equipment or shoes to assist with walking and daily tasks.
Manage Chronic Pain With Physiotherapy
Physiotherapists often visit chronic pain patients individually. Your physiotherapist will do an evaluation and collaborate with you to develop a treatment plan. Manual therapy may be required such as massage, soft tissue mobilization or acupuncture. However, therapy is more likely to involve guidance on mobility, posture and accomplishing one’s objectives.
A physiotherapist will also discover practical means of assistance, such as ensuring you have the proper equipment and footwear. Physiotherapists also visit patients as part of a specialized team at pain management clinics. It’s more probable that this will be a group session.
It’s essential to have frequent physiotherapy evaluations and to request an appointment if your health changes.
What Happens Inside the Clinic?
Initially, a professional in pain physiotherapy evaluates the physical, physiological, and psychological components of a patient’s pain. They consider any drugs you are now taking and any past treatments you may have had.
Consideration of the effect of your pain on your quality of life is a crucial element of the evaluation. Both evaluating and managing pain’s biological, social, and psychological effects is essential. This is due to the physiologic component of chronic pain in which nerve impulses continue to inform the brain of tissue damage that no longer exists (or maybe never did). 
Studies have also shown that negative emotions, such as anxiety and sadness, exacerbate chronic pain symptoms; this creates a vicious cycle since chronic pain also leads to despair and anxiety in certain individuals. Although some patients manage chronic pain successfully on a social level, it has a devastating effect on the lives of others.
Your physiotherapist collaborates closely with other pain team members (such as clinical psychologists and pain specialists) to develop an interdisciplinary care strategy.
Chronic pain is difficult but can be manageable and is definitely treatable. Speak with our friendly physiotherapists at Fraser Life online or by calling us in Langley at (778) 278-4755 for more details.
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