With an estimated 50 million people affected by chronic pain, the search for the most effective treatment starts with the diagnosis of your particular condition. Of the many treatments available, physical therapy is arguably one of the most effective, conservative treatments that offers a positive effect with the least number of side effects in almost all circumstances.
Although chronic pain is defined as a source of pain that has continued for more than 12 weeks or 3 months, it is more complicated than that. The cause of the pain may be from an old or current injury, a degradation of body tissues due to prolonged wear and tear, or some other musculoskeletal or neurological source. Many who suffer from chronic pain often have little to no physical signs that the condition exists, but it is real. This is where physical therapy may be of service.
How Physical Therapy Works?
For most people, physical therapy is the primary form of treatment for a wide variety of chronic pain conditions.
- Arthritis
- Back Pain
- Hip Pain
- Knee Pain
- Neck Pain
- Shoulder Pain
- Tendinitis and More
There are many different treatments for chronic pain which include medications, acupuncture, massage, exercise, and others. However, physical therapy offers a baseline of research proven treatments that combine many of these methods to help alleviate the pain and improve overall function and conditioning by stimulating the body’s natural healing processes. Such treatments, all of which are covered by medical insurance, may include the following.
- Applying Heat or Ice
- Laser Therapy
- Electrical Stimulation
- Exercise
- Massage
- Manual Joint Manipulation
- Pain Neuroscience Re-Education
- Ultrasound
The process begins when you see your physical therapist for a thorough evaluation, which will help diagnose the condition of chronic pain and create an appropriate plan of care. From the evaluation session, a therapist will proceed to discuss your condition and recommend treatment.
Why Choose Physical Therapy?
Effective physical therapy techniques can assist in the lowering of painful symptoms being felt in the affected areas of the body. It may seem counterintuitive that physical therapy, which is focused on the areas of the body suffering from chronic pain, will be effective in lowering the amount of pain being felt, as many view physical therapy as a high intensity treatment geared towards rehabilitation of athletes. However, prior to recommending any sort of resistance training, skilled physical therapists will apply a gentle approach to help the body deal with the pain, inflammation, stagnation, as well as prevent stiffness and weakness. Once pain has subsided, the therapist will change gears and begin working on strengthening and conditioning exercises in order to prevent the pain from recurring.
The most obvious benefit is the overall improvement in pain and strengthening of the muscle tissues when exercise is employed. With more lean muscle mass, better mobility, and the greater confidence that ensues, proper physical therapy can help patients deal with the pain in a more productive manner as well as prevent the frequency and intensity of the recurring painful symptoms which often plague people with chronic pain syndromes. .
Because no drugs are used, physical therapy can be used alone or in combination with prescribed medications. Since there is no interaction between physical therapy techniques and medications, it can be utilized safely regardless of any medications that are prescribed by the patient’s physician.
If you are suffering from arthritis, tendinitis, or pain from specific areas of the body such as back pain, neck pain, hip pain, knee pain, and more, then physical therapy may be the answer. It helps strengthen the muscles in the body, provide more mobility, and improves overall physical conditioning. While it may not take away the chronic pain entirely, when working with other approved treatments it can augment the results so you can lead a more normal life.
Why choose Road to Recovery Physical & Occupational Therapy?
Physical and occupational therapy in Brooklyn and Far Rockaway is being revolutionized by team R2R. Our goal at Road to Recovery Physical and Occupational Therapy is simple: Enable our patients to Live Life on Their Own Terms by achieving their highest pain-free functional level in the shortest amount of time possible regardless of their insurance coverage.
How our therapists achieve this goal is a more complex process. We deliver the finest care available using the most advanced manual and mechanical methods, both conventional and holistic, applied in the most sensitive manner by highly trained professionals. We spare no expense when setting up our facilities by investing in the highest quality exercise and physical therapy equipment. We even went the extra mile to ensure utmost comfort and experience for our patients by creating fully equipped, completely separate treatment gyms for men, women, and children at our facilities in Boro Park, Crown Heights, and Williamsburg. We pride ourselves in providing the same high quality care to all who enter our facilities regardless of what type of medical coverage they are carrying, may it be Medicare, Medicaid, HMOs, Workers Compensation, No Fault, or Commercial plans.
Unlike many run-of-the-mill practices that over promise and under deliver with their “cookie-cutter” approach to therapy, we at Road to Recovery Physical and Occupational Therapy view each patient as an individual: examining, reexamining and continually fine-tuning the treatment plan until the ultimate goals are reached. When it comes to treating chronic pain, our highly skilled therapists are trained to spend a great amount of time on manual and neuromuscular techniques, which will alleviate the pain during the initial stages of therapy, prior to applying strengthening and conditioning exercises.
Due to the great success of the R2R system, our practice has grown to 5 locations throughout New York City with offices in Boro Park, Crown Heights, Coney Island, Far Rockaway, and Williamsburg. If you have a need for physical or occupational therapy and would like to experience rehab at its highest quality please contact us today or schedule an appointment. We can be reached by phone at 862-R2R-PTOT (862-727-7868) or visit us at the location nearest yo
If you’d like to speak to a therapist or schedule an appointment in person, please stop by our new Crown Heights location at
492 Lefferts Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11225
(718) 774-6144
