Chronic Pain Management: The Role of Physiotherapy in Managing Pain

Dr.Minakshi Fullara , 4 mins read

Pain is defined as an unpleasant feeling that arises when something hurts. It is a complex and different experience for everyone. Even those with similar illnesses or injuries can experience pain differently. Pain can be mild, moderate sometimes even unnoticeable, and very severe. It can present itself in form of prickling, tingling, and dull ache sensation. 

It’s natural to experience pain whenever something hurts physically. Usually, the pain goes away when the injury/illness heals. But sometimes our body wants to tell us that something is wrong through pain. In such conditions, the pain usually persists for weeks, months, or even years. This pain is known as chronic pain.

Chronic pain can have a huge impact on your daily life and may also affect your mental health. Many people mask their pain with medications. But this can cause more harm than good. Long term pain can come variation in moods, difficulty in sleeping and alarming depression.

Experts say that instead of ignoring or masking the pain, consulting a doctor is a good option. This way you will be able to know the underlying cause of the pain and get relief from it.

Here are some of the conditions that can cause chronic pain:

• Arthritis - Swelling or tenderness in or more joints.
• Infection - Many infectious diseases can result in chronic pain.
  
• Back and neck problem
  
• Bone fractures
  
• Cuts, bruises or burns
  
• Muscle cramps or strains
  
• Repetitive stress injuries (RSI)
  
• Migraine and other headaches
  
• Nerve damage
  
• Fibromyalgia - A health condition that causes pain and tenderness throughout the body.
  

Based on the underlying cause and your condition, the doctor may advise you on medicine, lifestyle changes, relaxation therapy, physiotherapy and other treatment options.

Physiotherapy is a key approach in managing chronic pain. It is a multidisciplinary and bio-psycho-social approach. Evidence reveals that a variety of skills and techniques used in physiotherapy have helped many patients with chronic pain to lead a better quality of life.  

It helps restore function and movement. This therapy is a holistic approach that also reduces the risk of injury or illness in the future and also helps in decreasing the psychological causes of pain.

Physiotherapy can be beneficial for people of all ages and a range of conditions, including:

• Back, neck and shoulder pain
• Sports injuries
• Movement problems, like multiple sclerosis, stroke and Parkinson’s disease.
• Lung & breathing problems, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis.

The therapy is also believed to be beneficial during rehabilitation after a heart attack. Physiotherapy is performed by highly skilled and trained experts, known as physiotherapists. They often work in a multidisciplinary team. Physiotherapists focus on the whole body rather than considering an individual aspect of illness, injury or affected part. 

The main approaches used by physiotherapists include:

• Education - They advise patients on things that have an influence on their daily lives, such as the right posture and correct lifting and carrying techniques, how to use muscles in right way, managing pain and how overuse can affect there mechanical condition.
• Manual therapy - Physiotherapists use hands-on physical therapy to help relieve pain and stiffness and promote better movement.
• Electrotherapy - Your physiotherapist might use certain electrotherapy equipments to reduce your pain.
• Exercise therapy - Physiotherapists completely assess your muscle strength & based on that tailored exercises are planned for you. This improves mobility, strength and general health of a person.

Also, Read: Sports Injuries: Learn about sports injuries and how to treat them