Pain management might easily be one of the trickiest items for doctors to deal with nowadays. Over the past decades, we have slowly created a society that has been forced to mute pain or wither. In response to a cry for help decades ago, doctors started handing out addictive opioid medication like candy, and an onslaught of illegal drugs intermixed with lifesaving ones, creating the dreadful Opioid Crisis. (Did you know that 99% of the world’s hydrocodone is consumed by citizens of the United States?) In a cruel twist, the pain medication that has been sought out has not lessened the pain, but created an entirely new kind of suffering: addiction. Besides the chronic pain patients (who need these drugs), how can we help people who have suffered pain and need temporary relief? In a unique and somehow expected twist, physical therapy might provide an answer to America’s opioid problem. Let’s take a closer look and find out some more information.
Decreasing Pain through Therapy
What makes physical therapy an especially helpful part of healing is the bond that is created between the therapist and the patient. From the start, an injured patient has set a goal of improving mobility and overcoming an injury, and their caregiver will determine the severity or simplicity of the injury (or injuries) at hand. Besides essential strategies for pain management, physical therapists will also help people develop strategies for relieving pain that would normally be muted with unnecessary medication. Here are some examples of passive pain management techniques (where you allow the therapist to manipulate you):
- Simple exercising: Scheduled movements and exercises will help you cope with pain and also become a healthier person.
- E-Stim (electrical stimulation): a process of muting the pain through small electrical charges, which barely affect the patient.
- Hot packs and cold packs: classic aids that improve circulation to promote healing
- Correction of posture: Some people experience pain by sitting incorrectly. This process will help you manage pain and live healthier, as well.
- Massage: This old-fashioned procedure will stimulate circulation and relieve tension.
Choices to Make
Ultimately, if you have suffered from an injury resulting in musculoskeletal pain, you should definitely visit a physical therapist before you consult a doctor (unless this injury requires emergency care). On the other hand, if you do choose to see your doctors first and he or she prescribes opioids, ask for recommendations for physical therapists instead. Ultimately, managing pain (if possible, in your situation) is a much better option than muting the problem with a highly addictive medication.
Seeking Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
While absolutely necessary for chronic pain patients, opioids are deadly and potentially addictive drugs that can wreak havoc on your mind and body. Physician supervision and your cooperation are the keys to healing, but you need to know when to take control. If you do not need opioids, do not opt to take them.
However, in the unfortunate case that you have fallen victim to opioid addiction or your friend or loved one is suffering from this problem, get in touch with Asana Recovery today. Our professional team of counselors and healthcare experts will help you endure the painful process detox and withdrawal and guide you through each step of the rehabilitation process to help you separate yourself from these deadly painkillers.
If you want to find out more about our residential treatment or supervised detoxification/withdrawal programs or enroll in one of these programs today, we are ready and waiting to speak with you at your leisure and your disclosure. Call Asana now at (949) 438-4504 to learn how you can overcome your attachment to opioids and take an essential step against the Opioid Crisis.
