Chronic Pain Physiotherapy
With in the realms of the biopsychosocial model of pain, as physiotherapists we play a large role in identifying and treating the biological component of pain and dysfunction. One of the key components in our practice in the management of chronic pain is to look for the cause of pain beyond the site of pain as well.
Our human body is not an assembly of parts but a single unit intricately connected. We understand that and that is why our assessment and treatment process involve not just the part where it hurts but also its associated synergists and antagonists. This enables us to identify the mechanical causative factors of pain beyond the site where it hurts.
In our practice we give a lot of importance to the myofascia. We regard the myofascial system as the “anchor” and “motor” of the skeletal system. The myofascia apart from providing mobility also plays an important role in providing dynamic stability to the joint and its structures.
The weakness and tightness of the myofascia could result in excessive stress on the joint structures and neurovascular bundle often resulting in pain and dysfunction.
Our treatment model:
- Assess
- Treat
- Prevent
ASSESSMENT:
The assessment is the most important component of rehab, since it is during the assessment that we determine the underlying problem that is causing your pain and dysfunction.
We will start with listening carefully to understand the underlying problems and how it affects you. There can be a single defining injury or a surgery or sometimes there can be multiple causative factors. Whatever the case may be, it is really important to understand the causative factors to be able to address the overall problem effectively.
We will review your relevant medical history and any test reports (MRI, CT scan, ultrasound, X-Ray) that you bring along. We may ask your family doctor to send your medical imaging results to us if you do not bring them.
We will then do a physical assessment of your injury/problem area through a variety of tests including strength, joint range of motion, muscle flexibility, movement patterns, limb girth measurements, internal assessment (for pelvic health physio) to name a few.
TREATMENT:
Our treatment model approach can be divided into three components.
Education:
Once we have identified the underlying problems, we will educate you about,
- What is causing the pain and dysfunction.
- What we are going to do about it.
- How it is going to help you recover.
We want you to be involved in your treatment as we work towards your recovery together.
Manual therapy and modalities:
We place a lot of emphasis on manual therapy since we have found that it provides a good therapeutic outcome. We also use a variety of modalities such as LASER, therapeutic ultrasound, TENS, bracing, k-taping and others to address the underlying pain and dysfunction.
Exercises:
This is the most important component of our therapy. While the manual therapy and modalities help to minimize your pain, it is the exercises that help to build your strength, mobility and agility to accomplish your functional and recreational goals.
We will teach you the exercises and provide you with a home exercise customized to your needs. The type and intensity of exercises will change as your therapy progresses. We will monitor and progress your exercises to accomplish your functional and recreational goals.
PREVENTION:
As the famous saying goes – “prevention is better than cure “. We will discuss the biomechanics of the human body and the ergonomic strategies that you can adopt to maximize your functional efficiency and minimize the risk of injury and pain.
Our goal is to ensure that you feel well, but more importantly we want you to “get well and move well”.
