Chronic Pain and Physical Therapy
Chronic Pain and Physical Therapy
MICHELLE MILLNER, PT, DPT, OCS
I recently worked with an individual who was highly anxious about his/her pain. This individual had a bad experience with sharp and sudden onset of severe back pain years ago. Unfortunately, the person decided he/she no longer wanted to move because of the anxiety and fear of another painful onset. The long-term result was severe chronic pain and significant immobility.05
This presents with two problems. First, inactivity causes atrophy of key muscle groups that keep our bodies moving well leading to more pain and problems with movement. Second, the person became hypersensitive to any stimulus. Even things that were not painful became cause for concern. In other words, this client started to interpret everything as painful or as a threat that would cause pain. The results were detrimental for the well-being and functional ability of this individual.
The good news is that individuals with pain can learn to be in control once again. Physical
therapy can help with guided specific exercise program designed to encourage movement, but not to further injure or harm the individual. A guided specific program can help restore normal movement patterns, which can assist in reducing the pain. More importantly, a skilled physical therapist can teach someone with chronic pain strategies to implement on a daily basis to treat and prevent further pain.
If you are suffering from chronic pain that impacts your daily life, consider coming in for an assessment by one of our physical therapists.