Don’t Mask the Pain, Treat it! #ChoosePT
By Dr. Christopher Genn – October is National Physical Therapy Month, and this year the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has focused its vision and created the #ChoosePT campaign.
The campaign is in response to the epidemic of opioid drug addiction and abuse. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2014, a record number of people died from drug overdoses, and more than 60 percent of deaths involved opioids, including heroin.
Opioid-induced deaths have more than quadrupled since 1999, as have the number of prescription opioids sold in the United States. These drugs include oxycodone, hydrocodone and methadone, often prescribed for pain relief. The APTA takes this increasingly troubling problem seriously and has been taking this month to educate the public on why physical therapy is a safe, non-opioid management of pain.
Pain presents itself in the body when the equilibrium is disrupted, when something is wrong and needs to be addressed. Management of pain with prescription drugs often masks the problem and creates a dependency on the drug, never addressing the underlying cause.
Opioids can have an addictive effect, causing dependency on the drug and its effects. Long-term opioid use actually changes cell interaction in the brain, causing the cells to become accustomed to the drug’s presence. The problem arises when the patient attempts to cease taking the drug and experiences significant withdrawal symptoms, including increased pain, chills, sweating, body aches and drug cravings. This further fuels the patient’s drug dependency, often making the original pain problem worse.
However, when the source of pain is musculoskeletal or neuromuscular, physical therapists are well trained in diagnosing and treating patients to return them to a functional life, void of pain. Don’t just mask the pain, treat it!
Physical therapists evaluate and treat many people every day who complain of all types of pain. We use special tests, movement analysis, observation and manual therapy skills to evaluate and determine possible sources. Once determined, there are a wide variety of treatments and interventions available to the therapist to address both anatomical and movement dysfunctions.
Exercise is often avoided by people in pain. However, after proper patient evaluation, exercise is very often included as an important aspect in treatment and healing. Time and time again, exercise has been shown to be a vital part of a healthy lifestyle, aiding both tissue healing and body function. Physical therapists are highly educated in exercise prescription, especially in people with movement dysfunctions and in pain. Not only is movement altered by pain, but movement has the power to alter pain. Through individualized and specifically directed exercises, physical therapists aim to re-educate the brain-body connection and improve overall movement quality and patient function. Fundamental movement competency is the goal.
Along with exercise, physical therapists use various manual therapy skills to treat pain. A few examples include the Graston Technique®, soft tissue mobilization, myofascial release, joint mobilization and manipulation, dry needling and stretching. These techniques can help achieve improved joint mobility, joint position and integrity during movement, muscle flexibility, consistency throughout soft tissue and fascia and postural alignment to assist in pain management.
One of my favorite aspects of physical therapy is patient education. Knowledge is powerful. Patients often tell me the worst part of their situation is not knowing why they’re experiencing pain or not knowing how to manage it. The moment the source of pain is identified and understood, it empowers the patient. The educated patient has ownership of the pain and the treatment. It changes everything.
It gets even better. Educating the patient on the reasoning behind each intervention further helps in the psychological aspect of pain management and healing. This understanding allows the patient to continue treatment and pain management outside of the therapy room and helps avoid future injury.
Physical therapy does not present risks and dangers like opioid or excessive prescription drug use. Physical therapists are well equipped to evaluate, diagnose and treat pain of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular origins. Therefore, physical therapy is an excellent alternative to prescription drugs in the management of pain.
Don’t just mask the pain, treat it! #ChoosePT
Dr. Christopher Genn is a physical therapist at ProClinix Sports Physical Therapy & Chiropractic, practicing in its Pleasantville location (within Athletes Warehouse). He can be reached at 914-202-0700. For more information, visit www.ProClinix.com.
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