Can Physical Therapy Help My Chronic Pain?
Living with chronic pain can be challenging, as it affects many aspects of life. Physical therapy helps to decrease pain via manual therapy and exercise. However, it also helps to change how pain is processed in both the peripheral and central nervous system (i.e. brain and spinal cord) so that patients can experience a significant improvement in quality of life.
At Symmetry Physical Therapy in Downtown Miami/Brickell, we offer 1-on-1 with a Doctor of Physical Therapy in order to address all the underlying causes of your chronic pain and create a tailored plan that addresses your specific needs. While working with a physical therapist, we will develop a personalized approach to your treatment after assessing your specific condition. This individualized care is an important step in managing chronic pain, as it targets the root cause of the problem rather than merely masking symptoms.
Physical therapy is more than a short-term resolution, it’s a pathway towards long-term sustainable relief. Through a combination of exercises, mobility/stretches, manual therapy techniques, and modalities such as dry needling and Winback (TECAR therapy), we aim to get rid of your chronic pain to a point that it no longer limits your independence or interrupts daily activities. Instead of having to take multiple medications for pain, or constant doctors visits for steroid injections or pain management, this holistic approach contributes to long-term pain management and provides empowerment to the person. While medications might provide temporary relief by addressing only the symptoms, physical therapy dives into the root cause of the pain by aiming at targeting specific structures to enhance the body’s natural healing mechanisms.
How Can Dry Needling Help with Chronic Pain?
We can implement modalities and other treatment strategies to enhance the body’s healing process. A common form of treatment used here at Symmetry Physical Therapy is Dry needling with electrical stimulation. Dry needling (DN) is especially important in the use of treating chronic pain. In chronic pain, the body remains in a state of long-term injury without healing itself.DN works by helping to kickstart the healing process from the beginning. It does so by creating micro-trauma at the site of insertion which helps the body to interpret an injury at the location. When the body perceives this injury, it sends healing factors including blood flow (which carries oxygen and nutrients necessary for healing), along with growth factors to the area which assist in the reparative response.
Additionally, in chronic injuries, collagen fibers of the tissue are in a malalignment, leading to improper contraction and use of muscles and tendons. Dry needling helps remodel the collagen tissue, aligning it properly and allowing force to be evenly distributed throughout the affected area. In chronic pain, the pain receptors around the affected are which send signals to the brain and interpret pain grow in size. This growth and increase in density of the pain receptors leads to overstimulation of the surrounding tissue causing normally non-painful stimuli to be painful. This is why in cases of chronic pain, people are usually always in some level of pain whether they are at rest or active. As you can see, dry needling helps in a variety of different ways, especially on chronic pain in the body, it is more effective in combination with Winback (Tecar) therapy.
How Can WinBack Tecar Therapy Help My Chronic Pain?
Winback Tecar Therapy uses radiofrequency current to increase the body’s natural healing process and decreases recovery time. Here’s how Winback Tecar therapy can help promote a faster rehabilitation of chronic pain
- Increased blood flow: To improve blood circulation to the affected area. Increased blood flow will help to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the affected tissues while removing waste products and facilitate the healing process.
- This helps to facilitate a faster healing response especially in combination with dry needling after the micro-trauma has been directed to the tissue. Increased blood flow = Increased healing of tissues.
- Pain reduction: Tecar therapy may help alleviate pain associated with chronic pain and associated muscle guarding. The heat generated by the therapy can enhance blood flow, improve muscle relaxation, and help to realign abnormal collagen fibers and scar tissue.
- As mentioned with dry needling, especially in chronic conditions, collagen fibers are misaligned, Tecar therapy can help to re-align these collagen fibers and improve contractile ability.
- Reduction of unwanted inflammation: Chronic pain involves inflammation of the affected area. Tecar therapy may help to reduce inflammation and promote lymphatic drainage from the tissues back into circulation.
Why Will Exercise Help Chronic Pain?
Tailored exercises used in the rehabilitation process of eliminating chronic pain and helps alleviate discomfort. Many people who are in pain for so long believe that being less physically active will help reduce their pain, what it is really doing is making the condition worse. After we have started to relieve your pain with manual therapy, dry needling and Winback Tecar therapy, graded exercises will be given to help attack the root cause of the symptoms and fortify your body. Beyond the benefits that strengthening and other exercise will provide, it also releases endorphins which are your body’s natural pain-killers. Patients will learn about their condition, the factors contributing to their pain, and effective strategies for self-care. This knowledge equips them with the tools to make informed decisions about their health and lifestyle, further enhancing their ability to navigate the complexities of chronic pain.
Closing Thoughts
Dealing with chronic pain is challenging and affects many aspects of daily life. Physical therapy provides hope for those dealing with chronic pain to return to a pain-free life. Its personalized approach, long-term focus and multi-factorial treatment potential offers ability in returning to a pain-free lifestyle, getting back to your prior level of function, promoting an active life, all without having to take multiple medications, constant pain injections and avoid surgery. Dealing with chronic pain is no easy task, let us help you. If you have been dealing with chronic pain in any area of the body, and are looking for a Physical Therapist, come see us at Symmetry Physical Therapy, located in Miami/Brickell Downtown area, where we provide an in-depth assessment and treatment strategies so we can help you return to a pain free lifestyle.
Feel free to give us a call at (305) 331 2277 to schedule an appointment.