Have you been feeling pain on most days this month? Has your pain been appearing frequently over the past three or more months? People who answered yes to these two questions are likely dealing with an issue called chronic pain.
Most of us have dealt with acute pain. This is pain that results from injuries or medical issues that goes away within a few days or weeks. However, there are far too many Americans who are dealing with chronic or long-term pain. In fact, medical research shows that more than 20% of U.S. adults had chronic pain in 2016. Physical therapists can help people treat chronic pain, and one of the most beneficial treatment options they offer is hands-on physical therapy.
What benefits can hands-on physical therapy offer chronic pain sufferers?
Hands-on physical therapy is one name for a specific category of physical therapy. Therapy specialists tend to call this therapy category manual therapy, and the techniques in this category share a common theme: The therapist uses their hands to perform them.
Manual therapy techniques can be especially beneficial for people living with chronic pain. Using a combination of hands-on methods, your physical therapist can provide you with benefits like:
- Reduced pain — Chronic issues like osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia tend to cause recurring pain. Manual therapy methods can help decrease chronic pain; one study reports that thumb osteoarthritis patients had a 3.5-point reduction in their pain scores following four weeks of manual therapy.
- Increased sleep quality — An additional problem that pain can cause is trouble sleeping. This is especially true if you’re living with chronic pain. Fibromyalgia patients are no stranger to poor sleep quality due to pain. Studies report that about 50% of fibromyalgia sufferers develop restless leg syndrome (RLS).
Luckily, manual therapy has been shown to help improve sleep quality for fibromyalgia patients. Medical researchers reveal that this type of therapy led to a more than 63-point improvement in patient sleep quality.
- Improved ability to do normal daily tasks — Walking. Sitting down in a chair. Using a knife, fork or spoon to eat. These are just a few of the normal daily tasks that can be tougher when you have chronic pain. Fortunately, hands-on techniques have also proved their ability to improve a patient’s ability to perform such tasks. One study found that 70% of patients with chronic neck pain could better perform normal daily activities after one week of manual therapy.
Find hands-on physical therapy for your chronic pain at Armor Physical Therapy
Are you ready to try hands-on physical therapy to treat your chronic pain? Our Armor Physical Therapy team is primed to help you find the care you’re looking for. We offer complimentary screenings that can pinpoint the source of your chronic pain. Our specialists are also adept at building personalized therapy plans for chronic pain, and such plans can include manual therapy techniques like:
- Joint mobilization
- Soft tissue mobilization
- Myofascial release
- Muscle energy techniques
- High velocity, low amplitude manipulation
Contact us today for more information about all the therapy services we offer or to schedule an initial appointment.