Don’t Fall Victim to Opioids – Instead, Opt for Natural Relief

Chronic pain can become a huge burden, interfering with just about every aspect of your life until it can seem impossible to feel like things will ever be “normal” again. Whether as a result of wear and tear over time, or following a traumatic experience like an injury or a car accident, chronic pain can become increasingly difficult to cope with as time goes on. Learning to cope with the discomfort isn’t always realistic, and so rather than live in discomfort many people turn to ways to mask the pain—often through the use of pain medications. However, this isn’t always the healthiest option, and finding more appropriate ways to manage your pain that can actually help to reduce the severity of your chronic pain can have a huge impact on your quality of life and happiness.

Instead of turning to medications to manage pain long-term, talk to your physical therapist at TheraFit™ Physical Therapy & Fitness Center about natural strategies that may help you to experience actual relief from your pain.

The Problem with Pain Medications

Pain medications don’t actually do anything to help heal chronic pain. While often marketed as an ideal solution to experiencing ongoing pain, all that pain medications can do is help you to feel relief from the pain for a short period of time. Once the medication dosage wears off the pain will return, and over time it may even require larger and larger dosages of pain medication to help you experience that same level of relief.

What’s more, many pain medications come with a long list of complications of their own. Many pain medications are opioid-based, which means that they are highly addictive and can cause damage to the body if used for a prolonged period of time. For many people, the withdraw that occurs when they attempt to stop taking opioids is actually more severe than the initial pain itself, and in some situations, the use of pain medications for an extended period of time can lead to an array of additional health issues, including damage to the intestines, liver, and even the heart.

To actually overcome chronic pain and return to a more normal way of life, pain medications cannot be looked at as a sole means of treatment. While pain medications may be recommended for short term use to help you overcome the initial pain of an injury, there are other treatment options available that are much safer and more effective at helping to ease the pain and improve your quality of life.

Natural Strategies for Pain Relief

Working with a physical therapist to experience relief from chronic pain is one of the most effective strategies that you can try. Regardless of whether the pain stems from an injury or from wear and tear over time, physical therapy can identify the problem areas, target the source of the pain, and then provide you with strategies to help improve your range of motion and reduce the experience of pain.

The biggest difference between physical therapy and pain medication for addressing chronic pain is that pain medication will never actually fix the source of the pain, it will only cover it up. Physical therapy may not help you to feel that immediate relief in the same way pain medication would, but it will help you to feel gradual improvements in your experience of the pain so that you can eventually start to live your life free of discomfort.

Here are a few of the ways that your physical therapist can help you find relief from chronic pain:

  • Targeted massage: Your physical therapist can identify the area that may be causing the pain and utilize massage techniques to reduce tension in that particular area, thereby helping to alleviate pressure in your joints and reduce pain.
  • Hot and cold therapy: The combination of hot and cold therapy can help to reduce swelling and alleviate pain, and when used in combination with other natural strategies can be a great source of relief from chronic pain.
  • Deep stretching: Your physical therapist can guide you through specialized stretching techniques that will target the source of your pain, thereby helping to improve your range of motion and support the development of muscle mass in the area of your pain.
  • Weight lifting: As you begin to experience tension relief and decreased swelling in the targeted area, your physical therapist can then guide you through the process of building muscle mass to support a full and healthy recovery.

Physical therapy can often be used to help people overcome chronic pain, including pain the joints, like hip and knee pain, back pain, neck pain, and even chronic headaches. In some situations, such as when there is an injury like a torn tendon or damaged muscle, surgical repair may be necessary to help repair the damage prior to the use of physical therapy to restore range of motion. Working with your physical therapist to utilize these natural strategies that can help you to avoid the long-term use of medication can help you to feel greater relief from pain and experience improved quality of life in the process.

To start experiencing relief from chronic pain, contact TheraFit Physical Therapy & Fitness Center for an appointment today.

Move with Ease Once Again by Relieving Your Hip and Knee Pains

Joint pain is one of the most common forms of pain to develop with age. Whether as a result of wear and tear over time, or as a result of an injury that never healed correctly, joint pain can significantly interfere with your quality of life and ability to move around freely. Two of the most common places to develop joint pain is in the hips and knees.

Coping with Chronic Joint Pain

Being able to move freely at your hips and knees is essential to your daily comfort. When joint pain strikes these areas it can seriously impede your ability to do basic tasks, like walk, or move easily between a standing or sitting position. Joint pain in the hips and knees often stems from issues with the muscles and tendons, and engaging in physical therapy can help to reduce inflammation in these areas and thereby help to alleviate pain, working to improve your quality of life by making it easier to move around.

Here are a few common strategies used in physical therapy that can help alleviate joint and hip pain:

  • Hot and cold therapy: This is a commonly used form of therapy that can be done at home or under the supervision of your physical therapist. Ice is used to reduce swelling in the targeted area, and then heat is applied to increase mobility and reduce pain. Applying these types of therapies in an alternating rotation can help to improve your mobility and reduce your experience of pain.
  • Manual therapy: Physical therapists typically use manual therapy to target areas of pain. These are hands-on techniques that can help to reduce pain exactly where you are dealing with it the most. These strategies often incorporate a combination of stretching exercises as well as a combination of massage therapy techniques. In some situations, your physical therapist will even provide stretching techniques that you can do at home, but you should always check with your physical therapist before attempting something new. While some stretches can help alleviate pain, some stretches may put more pressure on your joints and therefore could actually worsen the pain. Always talk to your physical therapist before trying any new form of manual therapy.

In addition to these common types of therapeutic practices, physical therapists will frequently use enhanced imaging techniques to help identify the cause of a particular type of pain. These imaging techniques may include using tools like ultrasound therapy or laser therapy. During ultrasound therapy, your physical therapist will use an ultrasound device to identify problem areas while also providing deep heating within the tissues that are associated with the pain. When laser therapy is utilized, the physical therapist will use lasers to increase circulation in the targeted area, as well as target swelling and improve the growth and reproduction of cells. These advanced techniques require specialized equipment and so can only be performed in an office by a certified professional.

Addressing Hip and Knee Pain at Home

As you go to physical therapy, your physical therapist will help to identify what may be causing your hips and knees to experience pain, and will provide you with targeted therapies to address the problem. While going to physical therapy regularly can help enhance recovery from injury and ease chronic pain, just doing these activities 1-2 times a week with your physical therapist won’t be sufficient to make a big difference in your experience of the pain.

Your physical therapist will teach you exercises that you can do at home to help alleviate your hip and knee pain. In many situations, physical therapy techniques can be incorporated into a larger home-workout program that can become a standard part of your daily routine.

Your physical therapist may also recommend that you try some of the following exercises as you work to overcome knee and hip pain:

  • Swimming
  • Aqua Aerobics
  • Biking
  • Elliptical training
  • Yoga

Exercises that remove pressure from the joints while targeting the surrounding muscles to help improve strength are often ideal for reducing knee and hip pain. For this reason, aqua exercises are ideal, as they reduce a great deal of pressure from the joints while still permitting you to stretch and move freely, thereby helping to improve your range of motion. Similarly, opting for exercises like biking or running on an elliptical machine instead of a treadmill can help you to get a great cardio workout without having to put pressure on your joints as you would if you were running or walking.

While yoga is a great exercise for improving range of motion and decreasing inflammation, you need to be mindful about what types of yoga poses you are doing. There are some poses that could put more pressure on your hips and knees, and so should be avoided when you are already experiencing pain in those areas. The best practice is to discuss your intended exercises with your physical therapist before engaging in anything new and to follow your physical therapist’s directions in regards to what type of activities you should be engaging in regularly at home.

Physical therapy can be a huge help when trying to overcome knee and hip pain. Whether you’ve developed pain as a result of an injury or are looking to finally find relief from chronic pain that has developed slowly over time, physical therapy can help. Contact TheraFit™ Physical Therapy & Fitness Centers in Hazel Green, AL, and/or Park City, TN to learn more about how physical therapy can help you and get started.

Tired of Medications? Find Relief with Physical Therapy

Pain can put some extreme limits on your life. While medication can provide temporary relief, it doesn’t actually solve the problem of your pain; rather, it merely masks the symptoms. If you have been living with acute or chronic pain and you’re looking for a natural way to successfully treat your symptoms, contact our office in Hazel Green, AL today!

A natural alternative to medication:

For many people, even the thought of exercising can make them cringe due to the pain they are feeling. However, physical therapy exercises are one of the absolute best treatments for chronic pain. By participating in a physical therapy routine, you will see just how effective exercise can be for all types of chronic musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain. Just a few of the many conditions that can be treated through physical therapy include:

A physical therapist has a wide variety of treatment options to offer for pain. Just a few of the common methods and modalities that physical therapists use include manipulation of the joints and bones, movement therapy, massage therapy, microcurrent stimulation, and cold laser therapy. All of these treatments help in relieving pain, reducing inflammation, accelerating healing, and improving daily function.

The risks of pain medication:

Taking pain-management drugs as a way to rid yourself of pain may seem like a good solution in the short-term, but it has many disadvantages in the long-term. Over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen can lead to undesirable side effects. For example, taking excessive amounts of aspirin can cause your stomach to bleed and can lead to kidney damage. Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen can also both cause both kidney and stomach problems.

However, prescription opioids like codeine, oxycodone, and morphine are perhaps the worst. These are habit-forming drugs that can lead to addiction. They are also responsible for an additional number of side effects, include respiratory depression, constipation, anxiety, and nausea. Several people also overdose on opioids each year, either due to addiction or a gradually increased intake in order to relieve pain. Not only does taking meds for pain just mask the problem, it just may cause you another one.

What will your treatment plan look like?

Physical therapy is the ideal way to alleviate your pain and decrease your recovery time. A physical therapist can identify where your pain is originating and treat it accordingly, in order to correct the condition. At your initial appointment, you will undergo a comprehensive physical assessment to determine the best course of action for your specific needs. From there, an individualized treatment plan will be designed for you.

Physical therapy treatments are both passive and active. With passive treatments, the main focus will be on relieving your pain through specifically selected methods and modalities. This may include ice and heat therapies, massage therapy, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, or any additional technique that your physical therapist deems fit. With active treatments, the main focus will be on improving your strength, range of motion, and flexibility, in order to help you regain your optimum levels of function. This will include targeted exercises and stretches, as well as any other accommodations forms of exercise (such as aquatic therapy or balance boards) that your physical therapist deems fit.

Don’t struggle with pain and harmful medications any longer. Instead of settling for masked symptoms, contact our office to treat them the right way. Our licensed physical therapists at TheraFit™ are seasoned in the field of movement and mobilization, and they would be more than happy to help you achieve a full recovery. Live your life to the fullest by scheduling a consultation today!

 

How Does Nutrition Help Relieve Pain and Inflammation?

Are you living with chronic pain or inflammation? If so, there may be a simple solution for you: changing your eating habits. Proper nutrition can play an important role in managing your discomfort. Many people live with chronic pains every day, unaware that simply eating the right foods can actually help them find relief. Maintaining a healthy diet, in addition to frequent exercise and reduced stress, can help alleviate your inflammation and chronic pain. For more information on how nutrition can help you find relief, contact our Hazel Green, AL or Fayetteville, TN office today.

Why do we experience inflammation?

In many cases, inflammation is natural. Without inflammation, injuries would not be able to heal completely. It is the body’s way of promoting healing in response to physical harm or sickness. Pain and inflammation typically go hand-in-hand, so if you are feeling pain in a certain area, there’s a good chance that it’s also inflamed. With any wound, infection, tissue damage, or buildup of toxins in your body, your immune response will be triggered in order to initiate the healing process, thus resulting in inflammation.

While inflammation generally is a positive response, chronic inflammation can be an indication of a deeper underlying condition. Without treatment, chronic inflammation can lead to much worse outcomes, such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers. If your pain or inflammation has persisted for three months or longer, it is important to consult with a physical therapist as soon as possible, in order to get it under control.

Treating pain and inflammation with nutritious foods is a natural, easy, and healthy way to ease your discomfort.

A nutritious, anti-inflammatory diet:

Several patients who choose to participate in an anti-inflammatory diet report a significant decrease in symptoms. You can help speed up the healing process as the body purifies itself during the inflammation process by switching to a diet that complements the removal of toxins. The three basic components to an anti-inflammatory diet include:

  • Less dairy and grains. In order to strengthen your body's immune response as much as possible, you'll want to try and avoid simple carbs and sugars completely. That means no pastries, no donuts, and no white breads. Dairy products should also be extremely limited, so be mindful of serving very little cheese or milk with anything. Whole grains such as barley, oats, brown rice, and wheat are best when practicing an anti-inflammatory diet.
  • Less red meat. It is best to avoid red meat altogether in an anti-inflammatory diet, but if you must add some in there, it should be very scarce. One small piece of steak, one time per week, should be your maximum limit. The proteins in red meat require extra work from your kidneys to process; therefore, eating a lot of it will slow down your healing process. The good news is that chicken and fish are just fine for an anti-inflammatory diet.
  • More vegetables. One of the best ways to reduce inflammation is to increase your veggie intake. This diet is most successful if you eat up to nine servings a day, with the vegetables preferably served raw. Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli are some the best options. It is okay to substitute fruits for a couple of your servings, in order to break it up, but vegetables should be your main ingredient for the most part.

Contact us for assistance:

The diet above should help reduce your pain and inflammation. Additional steps you can take to relieve discomfort and improve your health include exercising daily, managing your stress, and maintaining a healthy body weight.

If these tips don’t prove to be successful, or if you’d like more assistance in making them a part of your everyday lifestyle, don’t hesitate to contact TheraFit™ Physical Therapy. We’ll set you up with a consultation to discuss how we can help you achieve your health and wellness goals!