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Prescription vs. practice: Why physical therapy is healthy solution
April 5, 2016Physical therapy works to improve your body’s wellbeing, not merely to mask the discomfort you’re feeling
When pain strikes, it can leave you scrambling for the most effective way to put it to rest. For most people, it has become second nature to head over to the medicine cabinet and search for a solution.
And while this has grown to be an instinct, there are much better options available, with physical therapy topping the list.
Unlike medication, physical therapy works to improve your body’s wellbeing, not merely to mask the discomfort you’re feeling. In addition, it’s also safer and allows you to sidestep the risk of abusing painkillers.
Long-term solution
When suffering with pain, it’s normal to seek out the fastest and easiest resolution. No one likes to be curled up in a ball under a mass of blankets when they could be going about their routines instead. Soreness can put a huge damper on your daily schedule, and as a speedy fix, you’ll probably end up turning to medicine. Medication puts the root of your issues on snooze.
Yes, while pressing that button and rewarding yourself with an extra ten minutes of sleep can be enticing, it doesn’t mean the alarm has gone away. Painkillers have the same effect on your body. They’ll provide you with temporary relief, but they don’t solve the problem.
Physical therapy, on the other hand, acts as a solution that’ll benefit you over the long haul. Physical therapists work to not only ease your tension, but also make your body stronger after it’s been deprived of much-needed exercising. Since pain can leave us bedridden, our bodies become weak over time.
Physical therapy will assist you in rebuilding your strength so that once the pain has settled down, you’ll be feeling better than you were before.
No unpleasant side effects
True, medication can be an efficient tool for problem solving when the body aches. What often gets overlooked, though, are the side effects that accompany those meds. It’s wonderful that pills are able to quickly target problems, but the laundry list of potential warnings is often worse than the original issue itself. Painkillers have been known to cause constipation, drowsiness, stomach upset, weakness, depression and even a compromised immune system.
When putting your aches in the hands of physical therapy, you get relief without all the baggage.
Some methods of physical therapy include pain relief exercises, low-impact aerobic training, strengthening exercises, as well as using ice and heat packs, massages and spinal cord stimulation. All of these options are safe and tailored to your needs with the assistance of your physical therapist, which means no unappealing side effects. Sans the contraindications, you’ll be able to effectively work towards bettering your condition, instead of adding more to the list of concerns you’re already experiencing.
Safest option
The unfortunate reality is that some people fall down the path of addiction in their lives. In recent years in the United States, well over 2.5 million people have abused prescription drugs for the first time. The scariest part is that many of these people are teenagers who believe getting high from pain medication is safer than using other drugs. What many may not know is that you can find common painkillers that are up to 50% stronger than heroin if not used properly.
With physical therapy, the risk of addiction or abuse is non-existent. Pain easement through physical therapy is done in a healthy, holistic environment, as opposed to the constant fear of the dark side of chemical consumption. You’ll learn in your sessions how to safely end your discomforts instead of hiding behind a substance.
And in the long run, physical therapy winds up being distinctly safer, more effective and more empowering for the pain sufferer.
(Source: mycentraljersey.com)