Pain Management Techniques Without Medication

Contributions by: Andrew Grahovec and Janet Hustak, PTA

With hundreds of experts deployed across our national footprint, every day our clinicians see patients experiencing pain. For years, patients have trusted our care to relieve pain and move toward a healthier future.

Taking a look at the data

More than half of adults in America experience some type of pain on a daily basis. And the current opioid crisis has prompted the need for alternative therapies to treat chronic pain.

Unfortunately for some, pain has been medically managed for years. More physicians recommend exploring other ways to find relief, often prescribing medication as an alternative. This sudden change can bring panic, stress and depression as patients struggle to find the care they need.

Managing your pain with ATI

Through the guidance of the experts at ATI Physical Therapy, you will have step-by-step assistance in relieving the pain. ATI’s physical therapists can help you through a series of exercises, specified to meet your needs, that are designed to improve your strength and mobility. But there is another tool available to you when exercise programs may not be enough.

Pain Management Techniques

Within the roles our team members play in the patient journey, chronic pain physical therapists offer patients the ability to experience relaxation and calmness during their sessions. This leads to reduced pain and eventually eliminates it as therapy progresses. Following the completion of therapy in the clinic, patients are provided with a means to carry out this treatment in their home exercise program.

Mind-Body Techniques

Mind-body techniques have been consistent sources of therapeutic interventions for years. From yoga to tai chi to music therapy, alternative treatments to pain continue to be searched, practiced and instituted into physical therapy services. The techniques used at ATI are specifically targeted to incorporate breathing exercises to help restore a sense of control over the body and turn down the “fight-or-flight” response. These practices of mindfulness focus on bringing you to a relaxed state-of-mind to lessen chronic muscle tension and pain.

While treating pain seems unconventional without some type of medication, it’s important to understand where pain begins. The brain is the main manager of pain. It constantly monitors the body and networks to regulate pain. These networks include emotional, sensory and cognitive pathways.

Mindfulness engages a variety of pathways to regulate the experience of pain. In a recent study, patients described becoming aware through mindfulness of how their fear of pain was processed mentally. This made the pain worse, limiting their experience and consequently being able to let go of the fear. Increased awareness of muscle tension contributed to pain as well as the release of tension through mindfulness and meditation, ultimately leading to a decrease in pain intensity. Let the experts at ATI help empower you to better understand pain processing so you can take back control of your life and live pain-free again.

Are you looking for a safer alternative to treating chronic pain?

If simple home interventions are not helping to lessen aches, pains and discomfort, it’s time to see a physical therapist. Stop by your nearest ATI Physical Therapy clinic for a complimentary screening and get back to being you.