{"id":214655,"date":"2023-11-20T13:40:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-20T18:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/e3232af3e5.nxcli.net\/?p=214655"},"modified":"2023-10-11T06:22:40","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T10:22:40","slug":"pain-free-living-managing-chronic-pain-through-manual-therapy-techniques","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/netpacestudios.com\/mma\/pain-free-living-managing-chronic-pain-through-manual-therapy-techniques\/","title":{"rendered":"Pain-Free Living: Managing Chronic Pain through Manual Therapy Techniques"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Pam, 67, had been living with chronic back pain for at least six months. She tried to manage her discomfort as best she could by investing in heating pads and utilizing over-the-counter medication. Nothing worked. Finally, she visited a physical therapist, who applied a few manual therapy techniques for pain\u2013and Pam finally found a path to relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manual therapy is an umbrella term for several hands-on techniques physical therapists<\/a> use to reduce pain, improve mobility, and promote blood circulation. Pam\u2019s therapist used two common types of manual therapy: joint mobilization and soft tissue manipulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also helped Pam understand the underlying cause of her back pain. She had developed degenerative disc disease, which is not a disease in the usual sense of the word but rather a common side effect of aging that causes the vertebral discs in the spine to break down. With that information, he was also able to provide her with a customized treatment plan to provide lasting comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chronic pain is surprisingly common. The CDC estimates that around 52 million American adults\u201321% of the adult population\u2013struggle with some form of chronic pain, with 17 million people experiencing chronic pain to such a degree that it impacts their day-to-day lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no doubt that chronic pain is difficult to manage, with many people turning to pharmaceutical use. But physical therapy<\/a> at MMA & Sports Rehab offers several drug-free alternatives, including manual therapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about manual therapy and chronic pain, keep reading\u2013or call our Arlington, VA office<\/a> to schedule an initial consultation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding Chronic Pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pain is a normal part of life. It\u2019s our body\u2019s way of telling us that something\u2019s wrong. If you\u2019ve ever accidentally cut yourself while slicing veggies for dinner or stubbed your toe on a piece of furniture, you almost certainly experienced a sudden flare of intense pain that faded fairly quickly. That was your body telling you, \u201cDon\u2019t do that again!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such pain is also an example of acute pain<\/strong>\u2013pain that lasts up to 2 weeks. While your stubbed toe was probably only painful for a few minutes, you may have experienced longer-lasting acute pain, too. For example, maybe you attempted to pick up a heavy piece of furniture and strained your back: a healthy, active person might recover from that injury on their own, but they\u2019ll have to deal with pain for a couple of weeks or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, chronic pain<\/strong> lasts longer than three months\u2013that is, longer than it would take for an injury to resolve itself. Chronic pain is much more complex than acute pain because it\u2019s not simply telling your body something\u2019s wrong. Instead, it results from an interplay between your brain\u2019s pain centers and the affected area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chronic pain might have its root in an injury or underlying condition. But the reason the pain lingers for so long is that your brain interprets any and all sensations from the affected area as pain, even if there\u2019s no more actual damage. This is not to say that the pain is \u201call in your head\u201d (you\u2019re obviously experiencing it). It just means that the pain itself often becomes bigger than the triggering event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manual Therapy Techniques for Chronic Pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Addressing and resolving chronic pain<\/a> is a complicated process. The first step is to try to reduce pain levels so that you can better function. Then we can work on a customized approach for resolving the pain, if possible\u2013or at least reducing it significantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manual therapy is one of the ways that the MMA & Sports Rehab team can help you reduce those initial pain levels. We offer several different techniques that provide unique benefits. What they all have in common is that they\u2019re performed with our therapist\u2019s hands\u2013adding an element of human touch that\u2019s beneficial in and of itself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of our most frequently used manual therapy techniques:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n