Pain is the most common reason for seeking medical care. It is also the most common reason why people choose our physical therapy practice for help. If you are considering physical therapy for pain, this information can help.
Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Pain
Acute pain is common with tissue damage that may occur with a ligament sprain, a muscle or tendon strain, inflammation within a joint, or a tear of a muscle, tendon, or meniscus.Subacute pain is pain that lasts for 3 to 6 months. Subacute pain is common with more complex conditions where there is prolonged healing (joint replacements and the pain associated with the recovery after surgery).
Chronic pain is pain lasting for more than 6 months. While the body’s musculoskeletal tissues may heal from an initial injury or degenerative change, pain may persist for months past the tissue healing process. Nearly 50 million American adults have significant chronic pain or severe pain, according to a new study prepared by National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). (1)
IMPORTANT: within 6 months almost all tissue damage completely heals. Rarely is there a case when the body cannot heal. Rare cases of diabetes may limit the healing process; however, in almost all cases, tissue healing will occur within 6 months.
Physical therapists that are trained to help patients with chronic pain can really help patients with chronic pain. Below, we will describe how.
What is Pain? Pain is an Output, not an Input.
Pain is the combination of numerous factors that result in a conscious experience that demands your attention.
Below is a list of many of the factors that contribute to your conscious experience of pain.
In other words, pain is NOT damaged tissue stimulating pain nerves which send pain signal through pain nerves up to your brain. There’s much more to it.
We’ve Only Scratched the Surface of All the Great Treatments Our Therapists Can Provide!
If you have chronic pain, we encourage you to set up an appointment with one of our physical therapists. We will take a thorough health history, perform a physical exam, create a custom program for you and help put you back on the road to recovery.
