Ready to Find Pain Relief Without the Side Effects of Opioids?
In today’s culture, pain is a major issue. About one out of every five Americans suffers from chronic pain, and 8% of those sufferers report that the pain is so severe that they are unable to engage in daily activities any longer. It’s no surprise, then, that pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications have expanded into such a massive industry! We have a serious problem on our hands when it comes to opioids
Unfortunately, these medications come with their own set of problems, ranging from addiction to potentially adverse effects on internal organs. Many people are looking for adequate pain medication that may not come in the form of a prescription bottle. If you are one of these people, you should be aware of the incredible pain-relieving promise of physical therapy.
The APTA states “Physical therapists can help individuals manage pain, and greater use of PT could make a real impact on the tragic levels of drug abuse in this country—abuse that often begins with a prescription for pain medication.”
Instead of turning to opioids, consider PT first! Call our clinic today to learn more about the benefits of PT and how it can help you find the natural pain relief you’ve been searching for.
Why should I consider PT pain management instead of medication?
As stated by the APTA website, “The White House has announced that APTA is among the organizations that have joined a public-private partnership to combat opioid usage and prescription drug abuse, and that the association will reach out to the public and its members to deliver the message that pain can be effectively managed through conservative, non drug approaches.
As a healthy, reliable, all-natural pain relief technique, physical therapy has several benefits. When developing a physical therapy schedule for pain relief, a physical therapist considers each individual’s symptoms (as well as the root causes of those symptoms). Modalities such as: may be used in the strategy.
- Electrical nerve stimulation to interrupt pain signals
- Cold laser therapy and/or massage therapy to boost circulation, relax tissues, and reduce inflammation
- Resistance training exercises to strengthen muscles, making physical actions less of a strain
- A soothing combination of heat therapy and cryotherapy
- Chiropractic adjustment to help joints move more freely and correct painful musculoskeletal imbalances
- Aerobic exercises to get the blood flowing and encourage joint lubrication
Physical therapy can do more than just help you feel better. This practice of pain relief seems to have one more significant contribution to offer in relieving pain sufferers’ symptoms.
Some physical therapists use “brain-rewiring” strategies like graded motor visualization to help people create a new understanding of their discomfort, allowing them to master and minimize their reactions to it. This kind of PT aims to allow people greater control over their symptoms so that they can handle more exercise, which in turn decreases discomfort even more.
By providing you with non-pharmaceutical pain control measures, this form of care can help you steer clear of the side effects of prescription and non-prescription drugs.
Better yet, you’re going beyond the temporary numbing of your symptoms by actually treating the underlying causes of those symptoms. Why settle for the illusion of relief when you can have the real thing — and improve your health and functionality in the process?
What’s the big deal about painkillers?
You might be thinking, “Who really cares if I pop a couple of painkillers a week when the pain gets worse? I have to live my life, and I can’t do that if I’m in agony!”
It’s true that painkillers are effective, but only in the short term. You see, a variety of over-the-counter and prescription medications promise to ease pain and inflammation temporarily. Steroids do this by suppressing the immune system for people suffering from painful auto-immune disorders (such as rheumatoid arthritis). That same immune-suppressing power, however, also makes the body more vulnerable to infection!
Long-term steroid use has also been associated with cataracts, glaucoma, hypertension, water retention, acne, high blood sugar and osteoporosis. NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) block the production of inflammatory chemicals in the body.
These medications aren’t all safe, either. In certain people, NSAIDs can cause gastrointestinal bleeding and kidney injury. They have also been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Opioids are the most commonly used medication for pain management across the United States. Even though they are commonplace, they contain some shockingly harmful facts:
- Opioids are a highly addictive substance and are the most commonly abused prescription medication.
- Opioids are a highly dangerous class of substances. Heroin is among the opioid category, as well as prescription pain relievers like oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, and more.
- More than 2 million people in the United States become addicted to pain medication every year, many of the medications being opioids.
- About a quarter of heroin addicts began their addiction through prescription opioid dependency.
Opioid medications pose perhaps the most perilous threat. Opioids are capable of numbing more than just discomfort. In 2017, alone, these potent medications resulted in over 70,000 lethal overdoses. Any of these deaths may have been caused by recreational drug use, but more than 60% of those who died were in chronic pain.
So you see, there is a good reason for there to be concerns over the use of opioid medications, especially when there are much safer alternatives out there at your fingertips…such as PT!
Visit Excel PT Today
Are you sick of leaning on opioid and over-the-counter medications as a crutch for your chronic pain condition? Say no more to this limiting lifestyle of worry and discomfort. Our physical therapist will be happy to create a pain management program just for you. Contact us today for a consultation!
