No Side Effects

In the clinic I have conversations daily regarding pain medications usage. There are often side effects from medication particularly if it is used chronically. In addition, pain medication can be costly. We all have seen the disclaimers at the end of drug commercials warning about potential side effects of drugs. These side effects may be unlikely but there is still a risk. This is particularly important if you are using medication chronically.
I recently came upon a webpage by the American Physical Therapy Association which cites several great studies about physical therapy improving patient’s pain management for low back pain. There is also a study by the American Heart Association on the webpage that cites cardiovascular risks of pain medication.
Pain medication plays a very important role in modern medicine and can be vital to managing pain over the short term. However, there are ways to manage your pain without pain medication. At a minimum, you may be able to minimize your medication load.
Successful long term pain management should include things that you can do at home. These are things that a physical therapist can help teach you. Also, there are modalities that can be performed in the physical therapy clinic such laser therapy that have no side effects and can dramatically help with pain management.
If you are interested in the studies that I mentioned click on the following link APTA. Also feel free to contact Siskiyou Physical Therapy if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment. We regularly help patients manage their pain without side effects or drug addiction.
Jon Hill, DPT, Licensed Physical Therapist with Siskiyou Physical Therapy
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