Woodlyn Physical Therapy - October 2018

Physical Therapy May Be the Solution You’ve Been Lookin OPTIONS BEYOND PAIN MEDICATION

If you go to your doctor with pain, chances are they’ll prescribe you pain medication. While pain medication can help in certain situations, such as acute pain, cancer treatment, and end-of-life care, in others, it’s not always the only solution. Relying too heavily on medication for chronic pain can lead to bigger problems. To manage long-lasting pain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, highly recommends seeing a physical therapist. The Benefits of Physical Therapy When you suffer from chronic pain and take pain medications to cope, you’re not solving the problem. The pills only mask the pain, but the issue remains. A physical therapist works to resolve the problems causing the pain and manage pain by strengthening the affected part of the body. Instead of relying on prescription drugs, a physical therapist helps relieve pain through education, hands-on care, and movement. Myths About Physical Therapy You may have heard that physical therapy is painful or that a center will only accept someone who has been injured, but that’s not

true. Physical therapy works with a patient’s range of motion and limitations to heal and restore their body’s proper function. The PT’s goal is to relieve your pain, not create it. Patients include older people experiencing age-related wear and tear, athletes, and individuals hurt in accidents. Physical therapists specialize in restoring mobility and relieving pain as well as detecting and diagnosing problems before they become worse. When to Talk to a Physical Therapist Pain that lasts less than 90 days is considered acute; anything over that is chronic. When a condition becomes chronic, it’s recommended that you speak to a physical therapist about the pain you’re experiencing instead of continuing pain medication. The CDC guidelines note that non-opioid therapies are “preferred” for chronic pain and state, “Clinicians should consider opioid therapy only if expected benefits for both pain and function are anticipated to outweigh risks to the patient.”

Suffering from pain doesn’t have to be part of your life, and there are other solutions than relying on medication.

A DOG’S TAIL

MOOKIE AND BRICE TAKE THE PAGE

Hey there!

At 4 1/2 months old, I’m still just a puppy. I can be a bit of a terror, but in the best possible way, I promise! As a Chesapeake Bay retriever, I was born to swim and retrieve, two things I love most of all. I’m already a great swimmer. As soon as I saw the pool at our house, I was ready to jump in! With my thick coat, I bet I’ll even be able to keep swimming in the winter. I don’t think Brice will be joining me for an icy swim, though. She’s not a fan of the cold, but she’s pretty cool in other ways. Brice is 6 years old and she’s lived in the Brennan household for most of her life. She’s been teaching me a lot about what it takes to be a good dog and how to tell when Jim is only pretending to throw the ball — I’m still trying to learn that last one. Brice is an expert on playing fetch. Ball is her life and she can play for hours. I’ll have to be pretty quick if I want to steal the ball from her one day.

My name’s Mookie, and I’m here with Brice. We’re Jim Brennan’s Chesapeake Bay retrievers, tasked with the important job of tracking down every ball that tries to escape. We’ll be bringing you a dog’s-eye view of the most important topics, like the best places to take a walk in my neighborhood, how to maintain your fetch game in the winter, and what holiday treats can be enjoyed by man and man’s best friend.

I’m so excited to take on this responsibility, I can barely sit still!

Brice and I look forward to sharing more stories with you in the coming months. It’ll be more fun than playing fetch in the pool!

–Mookie and Brice

WOODLYNPHYSICALTHERAPY.COM • 302.366.7600

2

Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online