Coronavirus Update

COVID-19 and Your Safety

  • Our office is open and accepting appointments to provide essential care to patients. Our clinic is in complete compliance with current CDC protocols.
  • We are screening all patients for possible exposure to COVID-19.
  • Special attention and precautions are given to those over age 65 and those with other conditions that may put them at higher risk.
  • Our staff and patients are wearing masks, gloves when appropriate and washing hands frequently.
  • Commonly accessed areas are cleaned and sanitized frequently.
  • Free phone consultations are available to all patients and those individuals who may call in with questions.
  • Please let us know how we may be of service to you.

FAQ About COVID-19

Chronic Pain

Pain is the most common reason for seeking medical care. It is also the most common reason why people choose our physical therapy practice for help. If you are considering physical therapy for pain, this information can help.

Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Pain

Acute pain is common with tissue damage that may occur with a ligament sprain, a muscle or tendon strain, inflammation within a joint, or a tear of a muscle, tendon, or meniscus.

Subacute pain is pain that lasts for 3 to 6 months. Subacute pain is common with more complex conditions where there is prolonged healing (joint replacements and the pain associated with the recovery after surgery).

Chronic pain is pain lasting for more than 6 months. While the body’s musculoskeletal tissues may heal from an initial injury or degenerative change, pain may persist for months past the tissue healing process. Nearly 50 million American adults have significant chronic pain or severe pain, according to a new study prepared by National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). (1)

IMPORTANT: within 6 months almost all tissue damage completely heals. Rarely is there a case when the body cannot heal. Rare cases of diabetes may limit the healing process; however, in almost all cases, tissue healing will occur within 6 months.

Physical therapists that are trained to help patients with chronic pain can really help patients with chronic pain. Below, we will describe how.

What is Pain? Pain is an Output, not an Input.

Pain is the combination of numerous factors that result in a conscious experience that demands your attention.

Below is a list of many of the factors that contribute to your conscious experience of pain.

In other words, pain is NOT damaged tissue stimulating pain nerves which send pain signal through pain nerves up to your brain. There’s much more to it.

The good news is that means there are lots of ways to positively impact your pain.

Chronic Pain is Complex – here’s the current model of the pain & fear-avoidance

The great news is that our specially trained physical therapists can help you understand these factors and improve, even get rid of your pain.

Here are some of the factors that contribute to your perception of pain:

  • Injury & inflammation - tissue damage itself, stimulates nerves that work through the spinal cord and may be perceived as pain.
  • Neurophysiology – the way the nervous system works, the body’s threat sensors, how they interact at your spinal cord, and the pattern of activity (pain neuromatrix), can all impact your perception of pain. Your brain also has an internal medicine cabinet that can release some of the most powerful drugs known to help minimize pain. These are called endorphins & enkephalins.
  • Pain Experience – your perception of pain. There is good pain and bad pain. Past experiences with pain matter.
  • Stress – family, financial, and work stress all play a role in the perception of pain.
  • Contributing Health Conditions – anxiety & depression both can factor into chronic pain
  • Sleep Habits – proper sleep habits can certainly help with the perception of pain. Almost everyone has had a headache when they were tired. The headache doesn’t mean you have cancer, it means you didn’t get enough rest.
  • Nutrition – eating the proper foods can positively impact pain

We’ve Only Scratched the Surface of All the Great Treatments Our Therapists Can Provide!

If you have chronic pain, we encourage you to set up an appointment with one of our physical therapists. We will take a thorough health history, perform a physical exam, create a custom program for you and help put you back on the road to recovery.

Call Us Today