Feeling bodily aches and pain is a fairly common experience in today’s world. Body ache/pain is a symptom of discomfort caused by muscle inflammation or soreness. This means that the affected area may feel weak, sore, tired or hard to move. In general, pain is an indicator that tells your brain that something is wrong. It is important to note though, that different people have a different tolerance and threshold for pain. Similarly, there are different levels of experiencing pain. Acute pain is short term and can easily be alleviated with rest or hydration. Chronic pain, on the other hand, is long term and may indicate a serious underlying medical condition.
Source of Pain
When consulting a health care professional, they may ask you certain questions to help diagnose the cause of your pain and how to best help you to alleviate it. Questions such as:
Where does it hurt?
When did it start hurting?
Does it hurt all the time?
Does the pain stay in one place or move around?
Is there anything that alleviates the pain?
What makes it worst?
Your response to these questions will give your health care consultant a guide as to which pain management method would be more effective in your case. Common causes of pain may include stress, dehydration, fluid retention (related to cramps or swelling), fibromyalgia, arthritis, infections and viruses etc. Habitually, the first suggestion to relieving pain is to get “pain killers” but at the world turns and knowledge becomes more easily accessible, people are looking into more natural alternatives for pain relief.
Concerns about Medicinal use for Pain Relief
With numerous pharmaceutical drugs available, it can be very tempting to just take medications to alleviate your pain. The problem with using these drugs is that they often mask the pain without healing the underlying condition; which means that it is highly likely the pain will return. These drugs are also composed of chemical ingredients that can have long term side effects on the body, which can even be worst than the original health condition. Common side effects of pharmaceutical drugs include:
Kidney or liver damage
Elevated heart or stroke risk
Hypertension
Osteoporosis
Immune suppressing effects (which makes the body more vulnerable to infections) etc.
You don’t have to take our word for it, you can read all about the possible side effects on the package of the medication. But what if we told you that you don’t have to risk your kidneys for pain relief… This is where Physiotherapy comes in.
Using Physiotherapy as a Natural Pain Relief Remedy
Living with chronic pain can be inconvenient to say the least. The pain will likely interrupt your daily routine creating unwanted discomfort for extended periods. Physiotherapy is a safe, natural and non-invasive method of treating chronic pain. Supported by years of scientific research, it is becoming a more successful method of pain management.
Most physiotherapy clinics are fully equipped with the qualified professionals who possesses the necessary tools, knowledge and years of experience to help you on your recovery journey. During your evaluation session, your physiotherapist will assess your condition and prescribe a personalized treatment plan that will help you get back to normal. Such treatment plan may recommend sessions of movement therapy which may or may not be accompanied by other treatment modalities. Such modalities include dry needling, myofascial cupping, kinesio taping and so much more.
Physiotherapy is such a highly effective method of treatment that the benefits far outweighs any perceived risks. Of course, results may vary according to each patient but in most cases, patients move and feel much better after completing their Physiotherapy sessions. This type of niche health care approach offers numerous advantages such as:
- Natural and permanent relief of bodily aches and pain because your physiotherapist will assess the root cause of your pain to treat the condition and not the symptom.
- An alternative to over-the-counter drugs and/or surgery. Even if surgery is absolutely necessary, pre and post rehabilitation programs can help to mitigate complications and promote faster healing.
- Improved mobility, strength, posture and coordination. Physiotherapy generally includes exercises and stretches which can help you regain physical functionality.
- Improved women health. Believe it or not, physiotherapy has been proven to be a great rehabilitation treatment for pregnancy, postpartum care and even pelvic pain.
- Better management of age related issues. Persons who suffer from sciatica, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, back pain and knee pain etc can benefit greatly from a prescribed physiotherapy regimen.
- Management of sports related injury. A proper recovery or preventative exercise program can be exactly what an injured athlete needs to ensure a safer transition for returning to sports.
- Improved mental health. Physiotherapy is a holistic approach to health care. This means that your physiotherapist will formulate a regimen to improve not just your physical ailment but also your lifestyle and general well-being.
Have you been tolerating chronic pain for too long? Are you now ready to get back to living your best life? If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to both these questions then it is time to give physiotherapy a chance. It is important to not self-diagnose based on information on the internet, though. Please consult with a health care professional if you are experiencing excessive pain or discomfort. Don’t let minor pain become a major problem!
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