South Toledo PT: Helping Aches and Pains

Health & Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

HELPINGYOURACHES ANDPAINS “Don’t Let Pain Keep You From Life!”

It isanunfortunatereality thatpain isapartof life.Havingachesandpains in your neck, back, knees, and hips is commonplace, especially as you begin to age.However,as thoseachesandpainsgrowmoresevere theycanbecome more challenging to deal with. It is never a good idea to let aches and pains grow so severe that they interfere with your quality of life. These are a few ways to help alleviate any aches and pains that you may have: 1. Hot and Cold Therapy Using ice and heat to manage pain is one of the oldest known remedies. Oftentimes, muscle pain develops as a result of injury or overuse and using over thecounterpainmedications likeacetaminophenor ibuprofencanhelp, but combining medications with repeated ice or heat is a better strategy for reducing overall pain. In addition, combining ice with elevation will help reduce swelling in a joint or muscle. 2. Rest When you are experiencing pain in a certain muscle group or joint, resting that area is highly recommended. Sleep, in general, is beneficial for helping withpainandswelling,especially ifcombinedwithelevationorcompression.

Increasing the amount of sleep you are getting by just one or two hours per night could be beneficial in reducing your overall pain level. 3. Exercise Lack of exercise can lead to stiffness and weakness in muscles and joints, and regularly stretching and moving can help increase blood flow. Carrying excessweightcanalso lead topainanddiscomfort,andexercise isbeneficial in supporting weight loss efforts. Cardiovascular activities like walking, cycling, and swimming are especially good options for alleviating pain if they are completed in a safe manner. Check with your physical therapist before trying a new form of exercise. 4. Physical Therapy Physical therapy is an ideal solution for addressing pain, especially pain that developsfollowingan injuryorsurgicalprocedure.Physical therapyprograms use specialized hands-on techniques to target the specific area of pain to help improve a patient’s quality of life. South Toledo Physical Therapy’s programs use a combination of exercise, stretching, manual techniques and modalities to alleviate pain and other issues.

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