Physical Therapy for Chronic Pain

Is pain ruining your life and making you miserable? Are you unable to perform routine activities due to intractable pain? Have you been forced to stop working because you are unable to perform your duties? Do you find that you’re having trouble thinking and remembering things because your brain is preoccupied with dealing with your pain? If this sounds familiar, we have good news.

Medication Isn’t a Solution

Medication is an important part of any pain management program. It is not, however, usually a solution to your problem. Most medications are only designed to mask your symptoms, not correct your problem. All medications have side effects. Some are worse than others. In regard to pain, it has been shown that all medications (including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications) increase your risk for heart attack and stroke.  Medications can also significantly impair your quality of life. Medications can make you lethargic and cloud your thinking. This not only impacts your ability to function but it can also produce tremendous stress on relationships.

FastTrack Comprehensive Care

At FastTrack, we understand the problems associated with chronic pain conditions.  It is our priority to work to eliminate, or at least minimize, your pain.  We believe that the only way to truly be successful is to address your pain from a multidisciplinary standpoint.  Medication is an important part of dealing with the fight against pain but it is only one of the necessary components.  Good chronic pain management should involve a number of different disciplines working together to find a solution to your problem.  With the FastTrack program, we have put together such a team of professionals to help address the specific needs of people suffering with chronic pain.

Our Team

Below we have listed a brief description of each of the members of our team. It will be up to you, and the physician, to determine which of the below specialties will best meet your needs and provide you with the fastest course of action to present a solution to your problems.

Pain Management Physician: The pain management physician is the leader of our team. He/she is the orchestrator for your care. Our physicians are specially trained in treatments for chronic pain. The physician will regulate medications and prescribe treatments for your specific condition.

Physical Therapy: Physical therapy should be the cornerstone of any good pain management program. Good physical therapy works not only on treating the symptoms of your pain but on trying to eliminate the root cause of your problem.  Physical therapy can improve your posture, strength, and joint mobility. Physical therapy will improve your body mechanics for everything from sleeping to working. Therapy can eliminate muscle tightness and spasm. Therapy can even help you lose weight.

Acupuncture: Acupuncture is a specialized branch of Chinese medicine. It involves the placement of needles in specific areas of your body in order to produce a reduction or elimination of your pain. The research on acupuncture is clear.  Acupuncture works. Medical studies have shown acupuncture to be successful in decreasing pain in close to 50% of cases.

Massage Therapy: Massage therapy is an emerging treatment option for painful conditions.  Massage is no longer considered simply a “feel-good” specialty. Newer research is showing that massage can have beneficial effects for many painful conditions.

Chiropractic Care: Chiropractic care can be especially beneficial for those suffering from pains in the back and neck. Chiropractors have many different tools that they can apply to assist you in solving pain and problems you may have in the spine. Good chiropractic care can involve, but is not limited to, manipulation of the spine. Chiropractors have numerous techniques and modalities to help you eliminate or decrease your pain.

Psychology: A good psychologist can help with many aspects of your pain.  Psychologists can provide you with coping mechanisms that will help you to better deal with your pain. Psychologists can also look for psychological barriers that may be preventing you from moving forward towards a resolution of your symptoms.  Behavior modification techniques can be taught to those who are engaging in activities that may be counterproductive to the elimination of pain.

Nutritionist: Good nutrition provides your body with the proper building blocks it needs to heal itself.  Poor nutrition may be contributing to your pain. A good nutritionist can analyze your diet to find out what you can do to maximize your healing potential and reduce your risks for pain. A nutritionist can help you find out why your diet may be leading to increased inflammation in your body.  You may also explore the possibilities of food allergies working against your bodies defenses.

Get the Help You Need

Chronic pain is a complex disorder that requires input from multiple disciplines in order to achieve great outcomes. Simply relying on medication to deal with your pain will result in decreased quality of life, increased health risks and general dissatisfaction. Why not seek a solution to your problem instead of simply masking your symptoms? FastTrack’s pain management solutions will help you with your pain and get you back to living. Why suffer another day?