HURT DOES NOT EQUAL HARM TAKE-HOME TIPS FOR UNDERSTANDING AND MANAGING YOUR PAIN Pain is a common experience shared by all human beings. It’s the body’s natural alarm system, produced by the brain in response to a perceived threat. Pain is not only normal but also necessary for survival. However, as most of us know, suffering from pain has the potential to disrupt daily life. Factors that impact pain include physiological stress (i.e. muscles, bones, ligaments, and nerves), emotional and psychological stress, sleep hygiene (i.e. amount of sleep, quality of sleep, and regularity of sleep pattern), past experiences with injuries or pain, and beliefs about pain and recovery. As you may have heard in the media, the U.S. is currently in an opioid epidemic as a result of increased prescriptions and abuse of pain medications. The abuse of these medications and their black-market alternatives is a public health crisis, causing hundreds of needless deaths each year. Luckily, there are many ways in which pain can be managed without using pain medication. Your physical therapist can teach you. You, too, are capable of taking back control of your life with pain management strategies individualized to you. Turn over this insert for some take-home tips to help you get started.
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online