Chronic pain is any discomfort or unpleasant sensation that lasts for more than three months – or beyond an expected normal healing time. Often, those who have chronic pain believe they have an ongoing disease or that their body has not healed, when this MAY NOT be the case.
Chronic pain is a condition that occurs when the brain concludes there is a threat to a person’s well-being based on the many signals it receives from the body. This condition can and often does occur independently of any actual body tissue damage (due to injury or illness), and beyond normal tissue healing time.
Chronic pain is likely not warning you of possible injury or danger; instead, the pain centers in the brain may be causing you to hurt even though there are no new causes of pain occurring in the body. Anyone can develop chronic pain at any age. It is estimated that 116 million Americans have chronic pain each year.
♀Physical Therapists work together with chronic pain patients to lessen their pain and restore their activity to the highest possible levels. With treatment, the adverse effects of chronic pain can be reduced.
Not all chronic pain is the same. Your Elite Physical Therapist will work with you to educate you on chronic pain, find solutions to improve your quality of life, and get you moving again! He or she will help you improve movement, teach you pain management strategies, and, in many cases, reduce your pain.
Research shows that treating pain as soon as possible helps to prevent chronic pain. Don’t ignore pain. Serious pain or pain that does not get better as expected should be treated.
If you have chronic pain, you may find that it is difficult to function well. Managing your pain can be challenging, as there are many different options for you, all with varying degrees of effectiveness. Physical therapy, with a focus on exercise and pain neuroscience education, can be an effective way to decrease your pain and improve your mobility.
Come see us at Elite Physical Therapy so we can discuss ways to treat your chronic pain!
