Chronic lower back pain and arthritis can be debilitating, which can affect one’s quality of life. While most people rely on medication to control it, physiotherapy is an important part of pain management. When getting physiotherapy, a certified physiotherapist like parcofontario.com will thoroughly assess your health and customize a treatment program that is right for your needs. Instead of prescribing pills, the physiotherapist will prescribe relief treatments, including:
- RICE (Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation) – The combination of rest, ice, compression, and elevation has been proven effective in reducing and swelling.
- TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) – It is a popular back pain treatment that involves the use of low-voltage electric current to alleviate ache. The electrical impulses reduce the ability of the nervous system to transmit signals to the spinal cord and brain.
- Massage – Most massage techniques help relieve by relaxing muscles, tendons, and joints.
- Spinal Manipulation – Chiropractors use spinal manipulation to ease musculoskeletal pain related to the back and neck. It realigns the vertebrae, which removes the tension and eliminates the ache.
- Acupuncture – This traditional Chinese medicine helps by targeting trigger points to balance the body’s natural energy known as chi or qi. It is a popular treatment for chronic pain.
Hands-On Physiotherapy vs. Pain Pills
Physiotherapy is a branch of rehabilitation that uses natural means, such as stretching, strengthening, mobilizations, and manipulations to help patients recover and maintain physical abilities.
People seek rehabilitative care or medication to relieve ache, but how is physiotherapy different from medicine in terms of anguish management? What gives physiotherapy the edge over pain relievers is that it uses various modalities to promote healing and reduce inflammation the drug-free way.
Here are five amazing reasons why you should choose physiotherapy over pills:
1. The risk of pills outweighs its benefits. The most common side effects of pain medications include:
- Dependence or addiction
- Risk of kidney damage and liver failure
- Nausea
- Stomach ulcers
- Fluid retention
- Constipation
- Drowsiness
2. Unlike pain relievers that simply mask the anguish by interrupting the signals to the brain, physiotherapy does more than that by treating the underlying cause of the ache through movements to help patients restore mobility and quality of life.
3. In some cases where a patient received prescription pain relievers, healthcare professionals still recommend combining medication with physiotherapy for optimum results.
4. There is established evidence on how physiotherapy supports and treats individuals with chronic backache, hip or knee osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia through a physiotherapist-guided stretching and exercise routine.
5. Pain that lasts more than 90 days is considered “chronic” and the risk of anguish reliever dependency increases. With millions of people experiencing chronic ache, this makes physiotherapy the “preferred” and safe treatment for chronic anguish.
Given the substantial evidence on pills, their unclear benefits of long-term use, and potentially serious side-effects, patient education is highly crucial before starting pain medication. Physiotherapists not only help address the problem drug-free but also help patients become more aware of the difference between the two treatment approaches.
