The opioid epidemic is frequently in the news, and it may have prompted you to consider how painkillers are affecting your life.
You may be sick of taking pain medicines every day when you wake up, throughout the day as you fight to move without agony, and at night to sleep peacefully.
If you’re taking pain medicines and don’t want to be reliant on them indefinitely, physical therapy could be the answer.
Physical therapy can help with both short-term (i.e., pain that lasts a few weeks or months) and long-term (i.e., pain that lasts longer than a few months) (that which lasts for more than three months).
That’s why physical therapy is such a good alternative. It allows you to bypass that chronic dependency. Physical therapy is designed to relieve pain without drugs. If it seems too good to be true, just keep reading.
Call us today to schedule an appointment with one of our certified specialists. You’ll learn how physical therapy can stop the pain and help you leave the pills behind – for good!
How does pain medication work?
To understand why pain medications are so dangerous, you first have to understand how your brain processes pain. Let’s say you bang your knee on something. Pain receptors in your skin register that something happened to your knee.
Those receptors send signals to your brain and spinal cord. There, your brain processes those signals as pain, and your body produces natural opioids to stop them. These chemicals slow your breathing, create a feeling of well-being, and block pain signals so you can return to a pain-free state.
When you have chronic pain, severe injury, surgery, or significant trauma, your brain cannot produce enough opioids to keep up with the demand. Prescription medication mimics the chemicals your body naturally produces, relieving pain, but they do not help your body heal.
The role of opioids in pain management
Opioid medication does play a role in pain management, as much as we may hate to admit it. However, it’s really best for situations where you feel severe pain immediately after the injury or immediately after surgery. It is NOT the best for long-term pain management. Ideally, opioid medication should be used sparingly and only for a week or less.
Opioid medication was never designed to be the type of drug that you take for months, years, or a lifetime. Opiates can trigger extreme sensitivity in your pain receptors, which is why they may end up making your pain even worse over time.
If you’ve found yourself addicted to pain medication after an injury or surgery, speak with your doctor about holistic and safe methods of pain management that don’t involve little orange pill bottles. Chances are, they’ll send you our way!
How can physical therapy help me to get rid of painkillers?
Physical therapists can now assist you in two ways: by regaining your function and alleviating your discomfort. Your physical therapist will help you regain function by strengthening the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other bodily tissues that have been compromised. This permits your body to recuperate while also providing you with the strong support system you’ll need to maintain full function in the long run.
You’ll gain strength while also getting pain alleviation from the most recent evidence-based pain therapies.
Your physical therapist can also help you with stress management. If you’re dealing with stress and anxiety because of your pain, physical therapy can improve your life by teaching you new mindfulness techniques like meditation, stress reduction exercises, and other alternative ways to deal with situations that tend to lead to problems.
Your doctor and physical therapist can work together to help you feel better. Instead of opioid pain medications, which can be addictive and even deadly, your doctor may prescribe an option like nerve membrane stabilizers and then send you to a skilled physical therapist who can help you heal without the interference of opioid medications.
Call our clinic today for an appointment; ditch the medication today
Physical therapy isn’t just about your pain. It’s about your whole-body function, your mental wellness, and your long-term health. We care about how you’re feeling, regardless of what part of your body is ailing you.
Your physical therapist can help you improve every aspect of your wellness to overcome pain and enjoy life without the fog of pain pills for the rest of your life.
Contact IMG Physical Therapy to get over the hump of using pain medication, and into the swing of regular physical therapy appointments.
