Chronic Pain Treatment in Carson City, NV
Chronic pain can be debilitating. When you are moving through your daily activities experiencing discomfort, your quality of life is severely impacted. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Physical therapy or physiotherapy has been proven to be an effective treatment for chronic pain symptoms.
Through movement, exercise, manual therapy, and education, chronic pain relief is in reach.
Request AppointmentWhat is chronic pain?
Chronic pain is deemed when there is residual discomfort for more than three months after an injury or surgery. When pain is still present after the body has healed soft tissue damage then there is a greater issue at hand.
The nervous system sends pain signals to the brain when it feels there is a threat to the body. One of the goals of physical therapy is to retrain the brain to not regard certain movements as pain.
Chronic pain can detrimentally affect your lifestyle. You might avoid physical activity in order not to aggravate the part of your body in question. However, avoiding movement can have much worse consequences. From lack of circulation to stiffness to weight gain, being inactive can lead to medical complications resulting in medication and potential opioid use.
Causes of chronic pain.
Chronic pain can look very different for each different patient. Chronic pain can be a result of a medical condition or it can be residual from an injury or surgery.
Long-term pain can be a result of:
Diabetes Mellitus
Trauma/Injury
Surgery
Fibromyalgia
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
Disease (Cancer/Arthritis)
Physical therapy for chronic pain management.
Physical therapy can help minimize pain by addressing movement, stimulating joint mobility, and improving flexibility. From low back pain to fibromyalgia where patients feel pain throughout their entire bodies, we can help you live more comfortably. Other chronic pain conditions we see are carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis which can be addressed with hand therapy.
We will work to improve:
Strength
Posture
Endurance
Range of Motion/Flexibility
Our process:
Evaluation
The first step is to meet with your physical therapist and establish the characteristics of your chronic pain. We may administer certain tests to get a baseline for current abilities in order to set goals.
Movement
You will work on your plan both in the clinic with your physical therapist and at home. Your homework will consist of flexibility exercises, targeted movements, and mindfulness techniques.
Manual Therapy
Some cases of chronic pain are treated with hands-on manual therapy including massage and manipulation to stimulate joints and increase range of motion.
Dry Needling
Some cases of chronic pain can be helped with dry needling, essentially Western medicine acupuncture. This pain-relief technique can improve muscular blood flow and relieve tight muscles.
Patient Education
Once in-clinic treatment is complete and you feel like you’ve achieved your ultimate goals, we will send you home with activities to effectively address pain management. Your plan will include targeted exercises, tips on meditation and mindfulness, and guidance on posture and moving safely.