If You’re Taking Opioids for Your Arthritis Pain, This Blog is For You

130: that's how many people on average die from opioids every day in the United States. It's a stunning statistic that sadly impacts nearly every community in our country, since opioid abuse and addiction affects people from all walks of life.

Many people who become addicted to opioids were first prescribed them by a medical doctor as a way to manage an acute or chronic pain condition. The problem is, opioid medications:

  • Can be highly addictive
  • Only hide symptoms of pain—they don't address the underlying causes, which makes opioids less cost-effective over time
  • Are associated with an increased risk of uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms and depression

Unfortunately, in addition to an opioid epidemic in this country, researchers believe there is also a chronic pain epidemic, too. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 5 American adults report chronic pain caused by arthritis and other conditions. If you're one of them, we encourage you to contact one our our offices today to schedule an appointment. We can connect you with a compassionate and highly skilled physical therapist who can help you alleviate your arthritis pain along with the other physical and mental symptoms associated with it.

3 Ways Physical Therapy Can Alleviate Your Pain

Medications, even opioids, may be appropriate in certain cases. But experts believe people with many types of chronic pain, including arthritis, should try physical therapy first. Here are three ways a physical therapist can help you:

1. Physical Therapy Can Address Pain at It's Source AS WELL As Alleviate Symptoms

Physical therapy uses a combination of "passive" and "active" techniques to help people reduce their pain and improve their overall health and well-being. Unlike medication, physical therapy services can make you feel better while also correcting the underlying issues contributing to your condition.

For instance, arthritis joint pain is often caused or exacerbated by weak muscles or abnormal movement patterns that increase pressure in the affected joint. Physical therapy treatments like therapeutic exercises and joint mobilizations can help minimize these issues while also decreasing discomfort, reducing inflammation, and improving joint range of motion. Joint mobilization techniques, including spinal manipulation, can also modulate your nervous system and trigger the release of powerful pain-relieving chemicals in your body for significant relief and whole-body healing.

Other techniques your physical therapist may offer you for your arthritic joint pain include:

  • Soft tissue mobilization and massage
  • Modalities like electrical stimulation, ultrasound, and diathermy
  • Kinesiotaping
  • Exercises to improve balance, coordination, and strength
  • Breathing exercises
  • Training to improve posture and ergonomic set up at work or home

2. Physical Therapy Helps You Feel Better So You Can Exercise More

Regular physical activity, including strength training and aerobic exercise, is one of the most effective ways to improve arthritis joint pain. But if you're always in pain, you may not feel like you're able to safely workout. This may lead to worsening joint function and even weight gain, which makes arthritis even worse. What to do? This is where physical therapy comes in.

By working with a physical therapist, you can get your pain under better control so you can go do those active things you know are good for your body. A physical therapist can also help you learn how to move more safely, such as by teaching you efficient ways to move or pace yourself so you don't end up being unsafe or doing so much that you're laid up in bed for days after your workout.

Our physical therapists are also able to help you problem-solve and compensate for mobility limitations by fitting you for adpative equipment such as canes, crutches, orthotics, and braces. These devices can be valuable tools that make you safer and more independent as you set out on your pain-relief journey.

3. Physical Therapy Helps You Better Understand Pain Itself

Research shows that a person's beliefs and fears about pain strongly influence how bad their pain feels and how long it lasts. Many things like stress, temperature, movement, and even acute illnesses like the flu or common cold can also make your chronic joint pain feel worse.

Research-backed techniques such as therapeutic neuroscience education (TNE) allow a physical therapist to help you explore your beliefs about pain and understand why pain happens. Simply increasing awareness is proven to help people feel less fearful of pain and be in better control of their symptoms. This is strikingly different than simply taking a pill and hoping it'll make your pain go away.

The Bottom Line

According to the CDC, prescription opioids are not considered the best choice for many types of non-cancer related chronic pain, including arthritis. Nonopioid approaches like physical therapy are the preferred first line of treatment.

A great physical therapist can help you live with less pain without having to rely on pricey and potentially harmful medications, and in many cases can help you avoid surgery.

Is Your Chronic Arthritis Pain Holding You Back?

We are so empathetic for people living with chronic pain—it's a challenging situation that so many of our patients and even some of our loved ones face, too. If you'd like to finally see if drug-free pain relief is possible for you, contact TheraFit™ Physical Therapy today to schedule an appointment.

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The Truth About Physical Therapy For Arthritis

If you've already been diagnosed with a common form of arthritis such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, you may have learned that these chronic joint pain conditions can't be cured or reversed. It’s an unfortunate fact, but one that many people are forced to live with.

Did you know that at least 50 million Americans are struggling with arthritis? That's a sizable chunk of the U.S. population, and if you have joint pain, there's a good chance that you're included in that statistic!

You might be wondering why even bother to pursue a course of physical therapy for your arthritis since there is no cure for it, and this blog is going to explain that to you. As it turns out, physical therapy can do quite a lot to help you control your symptoms and optimize your joint function. Keep reading to learn more about arthritis and how physical therapy can ease your chronic pain.

Arthritis: The Leading Reason For Chronic Joint Pain

Did you know that over 100 different underlying conditions can cause arthritis, or joint pain? It’s true. Unfortunately, these conditions tend to be chronic, or long-lasting, in nature.

Take rheumatoid arthritis, for example. This painful condition attacks your joints over time due to an autoimmune malfunction, causing increasing amounts of swelling and damage to your joints.

The most common kind of arthritis, as well as the one you’re probably more familiar with, is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a progressive degeneration of the joint cartilage due to natural wear and tear. As the cartilage continues to disintegrate, your joints become increasingly stiff and painful over the years. This will end up hindering your mobility and functionality as it worsens, especially if you do not seek treatment.

Why not opt for surgery or medication?

There's nothing more frustrating than sustaining painful physical damage that your body can't repair or heal. In the most severe cases, some people with arthritis choose to undergo expensive, intense surgery to either fuse the joint in place (preventing painful motion) or replace the joint altogether with a metal implant. Surgery is not for everyone and it certainly is not the only option. If you can't stomach the thought of major surgery, you might assume that your only recourse is life in a wheelchair or leaning on a walker, with a daily regimen of painkillers. The problem with this strategy is that the less you use your joints, the stiffer they will get, forcing you to take increasing amounts of medication just to get through the day.

Medications also only provide temporary relief and don’t get to the root source of your problem. They also won’t make you stronger and won’t preserve your mobility.

Preserving Mobility And Decreasing Pain With Physical Therapy

The sad truth is that we can’t turn back time when it comes to our health. Once a chronic, incurable condition develops, it’s here to stay.

There’s no reason to despair, however. Even if you can't turn back the clock on the damage done to your joints, you can still do those joints a world of good through physical therapy. The kind of treatment our physical therapist recommends will depend in part on your baseline health and fitness, the type of arthritis you have, and the severity of the condition.

Your physical therapy plan will also be based on your specific goals, from relieving chronic pain to restoring your ability to perform particular activities. It may include:

  • Walking or cycling to keep your joints as limber as possible
  • Strength straining to build up the muscles that support and articulate your arthritic joints
  • Massage therapy to increase blood flow, relieve chronic inflammation, and reduce joint swelling
  • Corrective exercises and postural education to help you move around safely, either on your own or with an assistive device
  • The use of heat and cold to ease joint pain without drugs

These physical therapy treatment methods and other techniques can have a profoundly positive effect on your arthritis. You'll find that you can move more freely and comfortably, and that you no longer feel the need to keep drugging yourself or enduring grueling surgery. By controlling your inflammation and preventing more stiffness from setting in, you're setting yourself up for many more years of optimal mobility -- despite your arthritis.

Are You Ready To See One of Our Physical Therapists?

If you’re interested in getting the ball rolling with treatment for your arthritis through physical therapy, don’t keep sitting around, waiting for us to call you! You have to take the first step towards bettering your health when it comes to a chronic condition like arthritis, so what are you waiting for?

Contact TheraFit™ Physical Therapy today to learn more about our services. Then schedule an appointment so that we can devise an effective arthritis management plan for you!

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Opioid Addiction: Why Taking Painkillers For Arthritis Pain is Doing You More Harm Than Good

Are you taking opioids for your arthritis pain? Did you know that opioids like morphine and oxycodone are actually making your arthritis worse? Drugs like these alter your perception of pain, but they don’t relieve it. So if you’re taking an opioid and believe it’s relieving your pain, know that it’s actually doing nothing to improve the symptoms of your arthritis. Opioids are not the only option you have to get relief from arthritis! Call TheraFit™ to schedule an appointment with a physical therapist to learn more about how treatment can help.

How Arthritis Happens

Osteoarthritis, or "arthritis," is a degenerative condition that affects the joints. The connecting joints between bones are made of cartilage, and if that cartilage becomes weak or depleted, it can cause bones to grind and scrape together. One of the main causes of arthritis is simply getting older; our joints just wear out as we age and that’s normal. However, there are other factors like genetics, repetitive physical jobs, playing high-impact sports, or being overweight, which can increase a person’s chances of developing arthritis. This condition also affects weight-bearing joints, such as the hips and knees, but it’s common for it to also develop in many other joints.

How To Know If You Have Arthritis

Have you ever woken up in the morning and felt like a joint or two was stiff? The most common symptom of arthritis is pain in the joint or joints that have lost too much cartilage. Or what about every day activities, do you notice that simple tasks like bending down are painful for you? Activities that use an affected joint will cause pain; the joint will hurt if you touch it or apply pressure to it. A joint can also be considered arthritic if it makes cracking and popping noises when it is used. As a defense mechanism, your body might try to grow new bone structure in the affected joint, which will be extremely painful.

Physical Therapy Can Help Arthritis

As previously stated, opioids can alter how you perceive pain so that your brain thinks you are no longer suffering from the effects of arthritis. This is not a long-term fix. Your bones are still grinding together, your cartilage is being worn down, and ultimately your condition is worsening. Before you know it, you’ll be in need of an even stronger painkiller, and most likely a pretty expensive surgery down the road.

There are better options out there to relieve arthritis pain. Physical therapy is one of them! Physical therapy can help you get rid of painkillers once and for all, and also keep you from spending thousands for surgery. A physical therapist will examine you and determine what activities trigger your pain symptoms. From there, he or she will create a customized exercise program that will help support your joint structures, and ultimately relieve your arthritis pain.

A physical therapist will be able to show you how to adjust your work area and home so that you can put less stress on the impacted joints. There are a multitude of different therapies, but manual therapy (targeted massage of painful joints) will probably be included in your treatment.

Your physical therapy treatment will also include an exercise plan for you to do at home to improve your health. Losing weight can also be an effective way to relieve arthritis pain, so if you’re overweight, your therapist might include weight loss exercises and advice on nutrition in your exercise plan. It won’t all be on you to bear though, your physical therapist will be there to keep you motivated throughout your entire treatment!

Opioids carry significant health risks. While they may temporarily numb the pain of arthritis, they do nothing to slow it down. It’s time to try physical therapy, a safe and effective alternative that will improve your symptoms with no risk to you. Call TheraFit today to get your appointment set up with your physical therapist, and get back to living a pain-free life.

How Can Physical Therapy Relieve Your Chronic Back Pain?

After dealing with Chronic back pain for years, many people consider costly surgeries or addictive pain medication to deal with the problem. But did you know that surgery and opioids aren’t the only options available to people suffering from this condition? If you've been dealing with chronic back pain and are thinking about surgery to finally feel some relief, contact TheraFit™ today to learn about how working with a physical therapist can be an alternative solution to your chronic back pain.

What Does It Mean To Have Chronic Back Pain?

Back pain by itself is pretty simple to understand. It is pain a person experiences in their back, usually along the spine or in the muscles attached to the spine. "Chronic back pain," however, is a little different and in some cases, much more serious. Chronic back pain is pain that lasts for longer than 12 weeks. A person suffering from chronic back pain might say that their back feels better or worse depending on what time of day it is, but the pain is consistent and always debilitating. This kind of pain often interferes with a person’s ability to work and can even cause people to struggle with simple day-to-day tasks.

Recognizing Chronic Bain Pain and What Causes It

The main symptom of chronic back pain is intense pain in some area of the patient’s back. Other symptoms might include limited mobility; you may find yourself unable to move your body like you were once able to. Even simple tasks that you once never thought twice about, such as getting up out of a chair or out of bed after waking up can be an incredibly painful experience. Lifting even light objects can cause the pain to intensify.

Maybe the patient received a work-related accident or was in a car accident in which their back was injured. It could be that a patient was injured while lifting a piece of furniture too heavy for them to carry. Sometimes patients and their doctors know exactly what the root cause of the back pain was. In a majority of cases, back pain develops on its own over time, without one specific event that injured the person's back. In fact, a 2014 article in the journal Clinical Radiology notes that in 90% of cases, patients can’t quite place the source of their back pain.

Three Ways Physical Therapy Can Alleviate Back Pain

It’s not a secret that physical therapy is a great way to treat chronic back pain, in fact, there’s a substantial amount of medical literature out there proving just that. Ask yourself if "living with the pain" is really going to work long-term for you. If the answer is “no” then understand that working with a physical therapist is a proven method for improving the symptoms of chronic back pain. Oftentimes, the need for surgery can be alleviated and patients won’t need to depend on prescription painkillers if they follow through on the physical therapist's recommendations.

Here are three ways physical therapy helps chronic back pain.

  • Passive Physical Therapy: Exercise isn’t all physical therapy is made up of. "Passive" physical therapy involves non-physical treatments which can help relax a patient’s muscles and bring relief from their pain. With back pain, this can involve hot and cold packs applied directly to affected areas, electrical stimulation of the muscle structures, and more.
  • Active Physical Therapy: Your physical therapist has years of training and hands-on experience working with chronic back pain patients just like you. Your physical therapy plan might include specific stretches and exercises. This technique is known as "active" physical therapy. These exercises are great for strengthening the muscle groups that support your back and core. The stretches will be geared toward helping your body regain the flexibility and mobility you have lost as a result of your back pain.
  • Long-Term Support: Physical therapy takes dedication and patience. It takes time to alleviate chronic back pain through stretching and exercise, and it's easy to get discouraged if you try to do it on your own. Your physical therapist is there to help you by providing emotional and psychological motivation throughout your treatment journey, until your back pain is a thing of the past.

Surgery and painkillers are not the only options you have if you’ve been struggling with chronic back pain. Call TheraFit to schedule a no-risk appointment with a physical therapist and begin your journey to a pain-free life.

Living with Chronic Pain? Try Our Safe and Non-Invasive Methods for Relief!

You may be one of the millions of individuals living with chronic pain. Whether you're recovering from a serious surgical procedure, dealing with the physical effects of an accident, or struggling with a long term medical condition, pain can prevent you from enjoying all the daily activities you love. You may be considering more surgeries or strong medication to fight the pain. A physical therapist has many different treatment options to effectively manage pain. Physical therapy offers several safe and non-invasive methods that can reduce or even eliminate your pain. Contact TheraFit™ Physical Therapy & Fitness Center today to find out how physical therapy can help you live a pain-free and active life.

Manual Therapy

Manual therapy is physical therapy delivered by the hands instead of using a machine or a special device. These techniques are more than just a massage. After a physical therapist goes over a complete evaluation of your medical history and any current conditions you may have, a physical therapy program that includes manual therapy can be created specifically for your individual needs. There are several manual techniques that a physical therapist may use to treat the soft tissues in the body. A few of these include the following:

  • Soft Tissue Massage - Massage done by a skilled physical therapist can loosen tight muscles, ease pressure around sore joints, and help eliminate a variety of painful conditions.
  • Soft Tissue Mobilization - Using mobilization techniques, a physical therapist would focus on the muscles and how they're attached to various joints. This technique is used specifically for restoring movement and improving the range of motion.
  • Strain and Counterstrain - This is a physical therapy technique that is used to pinpoint tender points throughout the body. Once these are located, the physical therapist will position your body to shorten and relax the muscles involved. The primary purpose of this is to reduce muscle spasms.
  • Muscle Energy Techniques - This type of physical therapy method involves repositioning joints that are considered dysfunctional and then treating the muscles around that particular area.
  • Thrust Techniques - Using this method, a physical therapist will apply quick and repetitive pressure to a particular joint. These rapid movements in the correct place on the body can restore natural movement.

Ice and Heat Therapy

Both ice and heat therapy can work to provide relief for pain. A trained physical therapist will know which type, heat or cold, will work best for the type of pain you're experiencing. Heat and ice work in different ways to help reduce painful conditions. Heat increases blood flow and more quickly brings nutrients to various parts of the body. Cold, however, reduces blood flow and brings down inflammation and swelling. The following are a few ways physical therapy uses heat to ease pain:

  • Heat therapy is often used for older or reoccurring injuries. It can reduce pain when a person is experiencing arthritis or stiff joints.
  • Heating pads, wraps, and gel packs can be used to relieve chronic pain in the neck and lower back.
  • Heat therapy is used for treating and reducing pain for muscle spasms.

There are also specific benefits for using ice therapy, also called cryotherapy, in physical therapy treatment:

  • Icing can reduce pain in injuries such as ligament sprains in the ankles or knees.
  • Ice therapy is often used for many types of muscle strains.
  • Ice therapy is recommended for new injuries to immediately reduce swelling.

Exercise and Stretching

If you're experiencing pain, the last thing you may feel like doing is exercising and stretching. The right type of exercising and stretching, however, can loosen muscles, reduce stiffness, and limit inflammation. Exercise can even release endorphins, which are the body's natural pain-killers. A physical therapist can create an exercise and stretching routine that suits your personal fitness level and helps relieve painful muscles and joints. Tight muscles can be the source of pain or make other painful conditions worse. Learning how to stretch in a safe and correct manner can alleviate stress and pain.

Laser Therapy

Advancing technology using lasers can now provide pain relief in a safe and non-invasive manner. A single wavelength of light is generated with a low-level laser. There isn't any vibration, sound, or even heat emitted with this type of treatment. It normally takes more than one treatment for a patient to notice significant results, but laser therapy can reduce pain without any side-effects. There are several important facts about laser therapy you should know.

  • It can be used for both chronic and acute conditions.
  • Most treatments only last ten minutes or less.
  • Laser therapy treatments can be customized for each individual.

Ultrasound

A physical therapist may use ultrasound to provide safe, effective pain relief. Ultrasound is a method that delivers deep heat into the body's soft tissues. There are several specific benefits of using this method. The first is that it can increase circulation to tissues such as ligaments, muscles, and tendons. This can ultimately increase healing and decrease pain. Just increasing the temperature in body tissues can help decrease pain. Ultrasound can be used in physical therapy to treat the following injuries:

  • Muscle Strains
  • Frozen Shoulder
  • Tendonitis
  • Bursitis

A physical therapist may use any of the previous methods, or a combination, to effectively treat the root cause of your pain. Physical therapy can provide effective, non-invasive treatment for a wide range of conditions. Whether you're struggling with fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, injuries from an accident, or chronic headaches, physical therapy may provide the answer you're looking for. Call TheraFit Physical Therapy & Fitness Center to find out how a physical therapist can help you eliminate pain and reach your health and wellness goals!

Do You Have These 5 Symptoms? If So, Physical Therapy Can Help

At our physical therapy clinic, our experienced team members work with older adults, men, women, and children who are facing a variety of acute and chronic health problems. But it's not just pain that we can help with! Every one of our physical therapists has received advanced training in anatomy, human movement, and more. This means there are many ways a physical therapist can improve your function and quality of life, as well as several signs and symptoms in addition to "just" pain that we can alleviate and address at the root cause.

Ever wondered if physical therapy could help you? Keep reading to see our top signs that it may be time to consult with a physical therapist at TheraFit™ Physical Therapy & Fitness Center.

5 Signs It's Time to See a Physical Therapist

1. Dizziness and Vertigo

Dizziness and vertigo (the sensation that the room is spinning around you) can be incredibly disruptive to your daily life. While they may have several underlying causes, these symptoms are often a sign of vestibular disorders like benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).

A physical therapist is trained in the diagnosis and treatment of BPPV and can prescribe a range of treatments that will alleviate this uncomfortable sensation, including the Eply's maneuver and gaze stabilization exercises. In many cases, people with BPPV experience near-complete resolution of their symptoms after just one or two sessions!

2. Imbalance, Incoordination, and Fearfulness of Falling

Loss of balance and coordination can happen as part of the aging process, but may also occur after things like a stroke or nerve damage caused by diabetes or radiculopathy. In some cases, these changes can lead to falls, which not only impose the risk of injury but can also make a person afraid of falling again. Unfortunately, research shows that fearfulness of falling may prevent a person from moving about, which only further contributes to weakness and imbalance. And the weaker a person is, the more at risk they are of recurring falls. Talk about a vicious cycle!

A physical therapist can work with you or your loved one to improve balance, coordination, motor control, and postural awareness. Through exercises and education, we help you regain the confidence as well as physical skills necessary to remain safer and more active in your daily life. In some cases, we may also prescribe adaptive equipment and tools to augment and support your function and safety.

3. Sports Injury, Work Injury, or Other or Traumatic Event

One "sign" that it may be time to consult with a physical therapist is if you ever experience any sort of acute traumatic event, like a fall, auto accident, or injury on the job or during an athletic event. Even if you feel "fine" immediately after the incident, there still could be underlying tissue damage that simply isn't noticeable right away. This is because stress hormones like adrenaline can mask pain and signs of tissue injury in your body…at least until they return to their pre-accident levels.

By consulting with a physical therapist ASAP after an accident, we can help identify warning signs of tissue damage and initiate early treatment to reduce inflammation and prevent further damage. And unlike medication, physical therapy can also help address underlying factors, like weak or short muscles, that either contributed to the event in the first place or may otherwise delay your healing.

4. Joint Stiffness, Instability, and Weakness

In addition to pain, our physical therapy patients also come to us with concerns about other ailments like joint stiffness or hypomobility, joint instability or hypermobility, weakness, numbness, and tingling. This often coincides with other symptoms such as decreased activity tolerance and fatigue.

Exercises, non-invasive modalities, manual therapy, and the prescription of orthotics and other adaptive devices can all be incredibly helpful and provide a more cost-effective solution than medications.

5. Any New Physical Diagnosis, Change in Function, or Health Concern

A physical therapist is licensed to treat a wide number of health conditions. So if you recently received a new diagnosis, consider finding out if a physical therapist can be a helpful part of your medical team. Conditions we treat at our physical therapy clinic include:

  • Musculoskeletal conditions like muscle strains, ligament sprains, tendonitis, bursitis, and impingement syndrome
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)
  • Amputations
  • Neurological conditions including Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis
  • Autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis
  • Pediatric conditions including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and sensory processing disorders
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Low back pain
  • Pelvic floor dysfunction
  • Sciatica
  • Debility and weakness following prolonged hospitalization or treatment for an illness such as cancer, the flu, or COVID-19
  • Post-operative recovery from things like joint replacement and heart surgery

Need Help Feeling Your Best? Physical Therapy Provides Relief From a Range of Conditions and Symptoms

Whether you have chronic pain or some other health concern, we invite you to call TheraFit Physical Therapy & Fitness Center today to schedule an appointment. A physical therapist can work with you to provide efficient and effective relief from a range of concerns and health issues. It'd be our honor to join you on your journey toward better health and function!

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.

Stretching Has Many Proven Benefits! Discover Them Today

You've probably heard that it's important to stretch before and after a workout or any type of strenuous physical activity. While this is true, it's also beneficial to stretch on a regular basis whether you're doing any type of physical workout or not. There are many benefits of doing stretches on a regular basis. A physical therapy program that is individualized to meet your specific needs can help you make the most of your stretching routine. Call TheraFit™ Physical Therapy & Fitness Centers to find out how a physical therapist can help you learn to stretch effectively to improve your health and increase your activity level.

Increase Blood Flow

Stretching may increase your circulation, which can ultimately improve blood flow. Improving overall blood flow has many benefits. This includes less soreness from workouts or even basic daily movement. It also includes the ability to more efficiently deliver nutrients to not only muscles but organs such as the heart. It can even increase your oxygen levels. Improved blood flow gives you more energy throughout the day and may even help the body fight off disease. A physical therapy plan can teach you different ways to stretch that will most effectively increase blood flow. A physical therapist may also use heat treatment to improve blood flow while teaching you how to perform stretches correctly.

Increase Flexibility

Remaining flexible is a crucial aspect of staying mobile and active for as long as possible. Even younger individuals can lose flexibility if they don't stretch and stay active on a regular basis. When you stretch regularly, your muscles become more supple and move with greater ease and less pain. Greater flexibility will therefore not only make it easier to move but when it's easier it will take less energy. When you make stretching a regular part of your day, you may have more energy and not feel tired so quickly. A physical therapy routine can be a great way to increase your flexibility. A physical therapist can show you how to stretch so you increase your flexibility in a safe and steady manner.

Increase Range of Motion

The range of motion is basically how much movement you have around specific joints or certain body parts. The greater the range of motion is for your knees, ankles, shoulders, etc., the more activities you'll be able to do. Range of motion is particularly important for athletes or even those participating in athletic events for fun. A physical therapist can measure the range of motion throughout your body and give you specific exercises to increase your overall ability to move as much as possible. Your physical therapy routine might include what is called dynamic stretching or the use of foam rolling to increase your range of motion. It's important to visit a physical therapist in order to learn how to use different types of equipment, such as foam rollers, correctly.

Improve Athletic Performance

Stretching before participating in athletics can help prepare your muscles and ligaments for strenuous physical activity. Stretching causes your muscles to continually lengthen and then relax again. This prepares your body to more effectively engage in strenuous motions in which muscles are constantly contracting and lengthening. You'll want to ask a physical therapist about stretches and exercises that are geared for the particular sport you participate in. A physical therapy program with stretches to help with the specific movement you make in your sport can improve your athletic performance.

Reduce Injuries

When your muscles are warmed up correctly, you'll be less likely to suffer an injury during physical activity. Stretching increases flexibility, which makes muscles more supple. They are then less vulnerable to injury if you move quickly or suddenly change the direction of movement. If you're already suffering from injuries, a physical therapy routine can help you heal faster and get back to the activities you love. Physical therapy may even reduce the chance of future injuries. A physical therapist can use manual massage to heal current injuries, reduce pain, and strengthen muscles and joints.

Improve Posture

Stretching muscles can help improve posture. Poor posture looks unattractive and may even affect a person's health. Good posture can reduce back pain and eliminate tension in your neck and shoulders. If you're sitting and standing correctly, this may even increase lung capacity and improve digestion. Physical therapy is a great way to improve your posture. A physical therapist can teach you new ways of standing, sitting, and engaging in daily activities. A physical therapy program might include specific stretches to strengthen the spine, which can help improve posture.

Reduce Stress

Of all the benefits stretching provides, many people may not realize that it can reduce stress. When you're stressed and tense, your muscles naturally tighten. Gentle stretching can slowly relieve tension throughout your entire body. Each of us have particular areas we carry a lot of tension. For some people, it's in the neck area. For others, it may be in the shoulders or in different areas of the back. A physical therapist can teach you exercises that target the specific area where you have the greatest tension and stress. There are specific types of stretching, such as static stretching, that may be included in your physical therapy routine to reduce stress and anxiety.

It's important to make stretching a regular part of your life. Including physical therapy is a good way to make sure you're learning how to stretch correctly and safely. Whether you want to improve athletic performance or you want to reduce pain and more easily engage in daily activities, physical therapy can improve your life. Contact TheraFit Physical Therapy & Fitness Centers in Hazel Green, AL, and/or Park City, TN today to find out how a physical therapist can put together a stretching routine to keep you as flexible and strong as possible.

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.

Staying Active By Incorporating These 5 Easy Steps into Your Lifestyle

With your busy life, it can be difficult to find time for physical activity. We all understand too well the lengthy to-do list that never seems to get completed. After a full day of work, running errands, making dinner, and still trying to find time to relax, it can be tough to try and force yourself to get out there and exercise. Fortunately, there are some helpful tricks and tips you can incorporate into your daily life that can help you stay motivated and active throughout the day - without taking up too much of your valuable time!

By incorporating these 5 easy steps into your lifestyle, you can remain active throughout the day while still staying true to your routine!

Tip #1: Sleep, sleep, sleep.

We’ve all heard it before: “You need a good night’s sleep in order to perform your best.” But do we stay true to this? For most of us, the answer is “no,” whether it is intentional or not.

It is no secret that sleep is vital for the proper functioning of the body; however, sleep disturbances occur in approximately one-third of the US population. Physical therapy can help you achieve better sleep, which can also help you achieve a higher degree of activity in your waking hours. Physical therapists are trained in areas that are critical to sleep, such as pain modulation, tissue healing, cognitive functioning, and cardiovascular health. A physical therapist can also provide suggestions for how you can integrate sleep health with overall wellbeing.

Tip #2: Rid yourself of unnecessary pain.

One of the most common reasons why people lose their active lifestyle is pain. Whether it’s a pain you’ve been experiencing for some time, or the simple threat of pain occurring, it has proven enough to slow people down or sit them out altogether.

According to the National Institutes of Health, most Americans experience chronic pain. An estimated 25.3 million adults reported pain every day for the preceding three months in a 2012 National Health Interview Survey. Nearly 40 million adults acknowledge suffering from severe pain, which is also a predictor of other health concerns.

Luckily, there is a simple way to manage or even eliminate pain completely - physical therapy treatments. Hands-on therapy from a trained physical therapist, or more specialized treatments such as ultrasound and electrical stimulation, can all help in alleviating pain. Physical therapy treatments have also been proven to restore muscle and joint function, in order to help you lead a more active lifestyle.

Tip #3: Complete daily chores.

Cleaning your house employs a variety of muscle groups, in addition to keeping you active. Every step you take and every inch you vacuum helps you stay fit. For an added benefit, squeeze your glutes and abdominal muscles as you're trailing from room to room.

Tip #4: Invest in an interactive tool.

There are a variety of products on the market that will encourage, inspire, and track your physical activity. Research shows that utilizing such products may have a favorable impact on your levels of activity. The key to success is to establish daily, weekly, or monthly goals that are easily tracked within the tool and to follow consistent strategies, such as:

  • Writing down your goals. A common goal that people set for themselves is 10,000 steps per day. However, it is worthwhile to check with a medical professional, in order to avoid overextending yourself.
  • Using the tool every single day. Consistency creates habits, which by nature are notoriously difficult to break.
  • Engaging in activities that you enjoy. While tools come with limitations — namely the activities that it measures — it is extremely helpful to choose a tracker based on the activities you enjoy. If you are doing something that interests you, it will be easier to maintain over time.
  • Encouraging your friends and family to use the tool with you. Many trackers have interactive features that allow you to measure your progress against someone else's. Most of us also benefit from having a workout buddy, so this informal type of comparison can really serve as an effective motivator. Plus, you’ll have someone to hold you accountable for reaching your goals.

Tip #5: Take daily walks with your dog.

It is true that a dog is a man’s best friend - and your dog likely won’t back down from the opportunity to be your exercise companion. The arrival of a new pet, particularly a dog, is an effective way to get owners moving. Physical activity is necessary for a dog, even if it is simply a short walk every day. This can help owners remain accountable for getting their daily exercise in, as well.

Want more assistance? Contact us!

If you’d like more motivation and structure on staying physically active in your daily life, don’t hesitate to contact TheraFit™ today! Our licensed physical therapists will be more than happy to consult with you and discuss plans for your physical therapy journey. We’ll create a treatment plan for your specific needs and will help you achieve your health and wellness goals!

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