Chronic Pain Treatment in Watsonville, CA
Physical therapy or physiotherapy has been proven to minimize issues with chronic pain. By strengthening the correct muscles and focusing on maximizing range of motion and flexibility, you can reduce the area experiencing constant pain. Exercise and movement can also help retrain the nervous system from unnecessarily sending pain signals to the brain.
Request AppointmentPhysical therapy services can help:
Resolve inflammation
Facilitate tissue repair
Alter nerve conduction
Improve muscle tone
Increase mobility
Break the pain cycle.
Chronic pain is a highly complicated condition that is a result of long-term injury and dysfunction that leads to the nervous system experiencing pain at lower thresholds of stimulus. It is basically a condition in which you feel pain easier than someone without chronic pain.
Chronic pain is the result of the brain believing there is a threat to the body. It could be residual from surgery, an injury, or an illness that has since healed. The point of physical therapy is to work to restore normal joint and soft tissue mobility and to eventually retrain the nervous system to not react with pain when your body moves in a certain way. It is essentially trying to “re-set” the nervous system.
Causes of Chronic Pain:
Trauma/Injury
Surgery/Amputation
Diabetes Mellitus
Fibromyalgia
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
Disease (Cancer, Arthritis, etc.)
Medical Condition
The problem with chronic pain is that the patient often does not want to be active or is afraid of aggravating the area experiencing pain. However, inactivity can be detrimental to the body in so many ways and often creates a “negative feedback” pain cycle.
Body Stiffness: Inactivity due to chronic pain can cause the body to stiffen and result in more issues.
Decreased Circulation: Inactivity can decrease blood circulation which prevents muscles and tissues from getting oxygen. Poor circulation results in fatigue and decreased metabolism.
Deconditioning: Inactivity results in shrinking muscles and issues with joint mobility. A weak body can result in falls and an increased risk of injury.
Medication Use: Inactivity results in the body’s deterioration which can lead to medication use to seek pain relief. Unnecessary medication or opioid use can lead to a multitude of physical and mental issues.
Physical therapy for chronic pain.
Here at Pacific Coast Therapists, we’ve seen it all…or at least most of it! And chronic pain can look very different for each patient. Our skilled, highly-trained, and compassionate physical therapists will evaluate your chronic pain conditions and work with you to design an individualized treatment plan to get you back to daily activities with the least amount of pain possible.
Strength
Posture
Endurance
Range of Motion/Flexibility
Our process:
Evaluation:
This stage is when you’ll meet with your physical therapist to establish your symptoms and the plan to get you back to feeling like yourself again. You’ll start by familiarizing yourself with our clinic and equipment and then we will send you home with a personalized treatment plan.
Strengthening and Flexibility:
You’ll work with your physical therapist on how to manage your pain with certain graded exercises. The goal of a targeted exercise program is to move easier with less discomfort.
Manual Therapy:
Certain chronic pain cases may require hands-on techniques that can mobilize tight joints, increase movement, and stimulate soft tissue. By improving range of motion, pain may also be reduced.
Education:
At the base of many chronic pain cases is posture awareness and improving body mechanics. When patients understand what chronic pain is and how it works, they can move more consciously. Teaching pain management techniques is also key in this stage.
At-Home Treatment:
Your physical therapist will build you a comprehensive plan to follow at home during your treatment and after you’ve completed the program. This may include traditional exercises but also non-physical activities such as meditation and mental exercises.