What Is the Difference Between Acute Pain and Chronic Pain?
Pain is pain, or so you might feel. But when acute pain crosses the line to chronic pain, you need to be prepared for a whole new approach to pain management.
Often-Overlooked Benefits of Physical Therapy
Physical therapy (PT) can treat a wide range of conditions, from acute to chronic. After a broken bone, a sprain or strain, or any other type of personal injury or sports injury, PT can help you ease back into your normal life. In other cases, physical therapy can help build strength, reduce pain, and teach you skills to make life easier as you age or live with a chronic condition.
At CHOICE Pain & Rehabilitation Center, with multiple locations in Maryland, our board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists can create a physical therapy plan to address any flexibility, mobility, strength, or pain-related issues you may have. In this blog, they explain some of the benefits of physical therapy.
Physical therapy overview
Physical therapy is a broad term, and each person’s experience with PT will be different. Generally speaking, physical therapy is a personalized plan that uses hands-on treatment to improve healing and restore function.
At CHOICE Pain & Rehabilitation Center, our team works with you to:
- Understand the nature of your pain
- Set reasonable goals and expectations
- Encourage blood flow and healing
- Improve function and range of motion
- Perform exercises and stretches
- Massage away stiffness and pain
- Document your progress
Sometimes, aids like kinesthetic tape, electrostimulation, acupuncture, and hot/cold therapy, are used as well. Depending on your needs, your doctor will help you decide what treatment plan suits you best.
Overlooked benefits of physical therapy
Unfortunately, many injured people don’t seek physical therapy during recovery. In many cases, they may think they can’t afford it, or they may assume that it won’t make much of a difference. However, in most cases, physical therapy can make a significant difference, and it’s often covered by insurance.
If you’ve recently sustained an acute injury, such as whiplash or a sports injury, PT can help restore full function and performance. Our physical therapists can also help patients manage symptoms of chronic conditions, which can reduce pain and improve quality of life.
However, that’s just skimming the surface. Here are four of the most commonly overlooked benefits of physical therapy:
Help prevent injury
When you receive therapy for any condition or injury, this can help you build strength. And this, in turn, can help you prevent problems down the line.
Learn to use mobility aids properly
If you require a cane, wheelchair, or crutches, a physical therapist can show you how to use your aid effectively. This, in turn, can help you move around better.
Get customized exercises and stretches
The techniques that a physical therapist shows you are tailored to your needs. And once you know how to do them, you can do them any time, anywhere, to treat your specific condition.
Feel better
Many people walk away from PT feeling stronger than ever, simply because of the guidance and consistency of the sessions.
While you can find PT routines online, only a licensed rehabilitation specialist can diagnose what’s wrong and address it properly. Trying to stretch and exercise an injured part of your body before treatment could lead to further pain.
If you want to learn more about the benefits of physical therapy, the professionals at CHOICE Pain & Rehabilitation Center can help. To learn more, book an appointment online or over the phone today. Our Maryland offices are located in Hyattsville, Gaithersburg, Lanham, Dundalk, Oxon Hill, Rosedale, and Olney, and we have two offices in Baltimore.
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