Tom Brocato has over 30 years of experience as a licensed physical therapist, and he has been the Director of Apalachicola Physical Therapy for the past 27 years. In the following article, Tom Brocato discusses how physical therapy can be an effective alternative or a supplemental treatment to medication for pain. Medication and surgery are undoubtedly important tools for pain relief, but physical therapy should not be overlooked as its own effective treatment option. How exactly can this non-invasive treatment help reduce, resolve, and prevent chronic pain conditions, though? Through interactive discussion and assessment, physical therapists work with patients to create a treatment plan individually tailored to their symptoms, capabilities, and lifestyle, which can then be adjusted as needed over time. As they take an active approach to their treatment, patients often make lifestyle changes that improve their overall life quality and general health. Tom Brocato reviews what physical therapy can do for patients experiencing chronic pain, as well as why it might be the better option, rather than other treatment procedures.

Tom Brocato on Personalized Planning

Much like doctors and other trained professionals, physical therapists often have a sub-specialty, or a particular area of focus. Some of the most common types of specialized physical therapy include:

• Pediatric
• Neurological
• Geriatric
• Vestibular
• Orthopedic
• Cardiovascular and pulmonary
• Women’s health
• Sports

Whether or not a patient’s chronic pain has a known cause, physical therapists will usually conduct a well-rounded assessment in order to create a unique treatment plan geared toward the patient’s own goals. As the purpose of physical therapy is to restore or improve a patient’s ability to function painlessly, physical therapists aim to identify and address the root cause of the pain, rather than simply to treat or mask symptoms. Tom Brocato says that medication may certainly be able to help alleviate a patient’s pain, but relying on it long-term may create negative health implications or increase the likelihood of developing an addiction or dependency. Surgery, on the other hand, may address the pain-causing agent without altering the problems or triggers in a person’s lifestyle, potentially allowing the issue to arise again in future. Physical therapists are trained in providing hands-on treatment, prescribing exercises, and also educating patients, so they are uniquely equipped for helping patients to not only overcome or cope with their present pain, but also to decrease the likelihood of it reappearing or continuing to worsen over time. Tom Brocato says that, in order to accomplish these goals, physical therapists use detailed information about a patient’s career and lifestyle to suggest practical behavioral changes. For example, they may work to strengthen a patient’s muscles that have grown weak and susceptible to injury, or identify activities that should be avoided in order to prevent symptoms from getting worse.

Non-invasive and Low-risk Treatment

As a non-invasive treatment, physical therapy does not involve any surgical incisions. Tom Brocato notes that physical therapists instead prescribe stretching, strengthening, and balancing exercises, and they may use techniques involving heat, ice, or pressure to alleviate local pain. Compared to surgery, physical therapy usually allows patients to take a more active role in their care plan. As treatment often involves the cooperation, movement, and participation of patients themselves, most physical therapists will offer thorough explanations while they work, and may prescribe exercises for patients to practice by themselves in between sessions. Tom Brocato explains that while physical therapy is sometimes used post-surgery to speed up and smooth the recovery process, it can also eliminate the need to operate, especially when treatment provides an early intervention to potentially prevent symptoms from progressing. Whether post-surgery or in place of it, physical therapy can help patients minimize time away from work and other life activities. Another benefit of physical therapy is that it may reduce the need to rely on pain relief drugs, including opioids, which are known to be highly addictive. By working to resolve the physiological concern underlying a patient’s pain, it brings many potential long-term advantages to one’s health that temporary pain-relief medications cannot provide. Tom Brocato notes that physical therapy is also a relatively low-risk medical practice, as it avoids the complications that accompany surgery, as well as the possible side effects and addictive properties of medications such as opioids.

Creating a Sustainable Healthy Lifestyle

As opposed to a surgeon or general care doctor, physical therapists typically focus more of their attention on finding the root cause of a patient’s chronic pain, making them better able to identify any problematic behaviors or lifestyle activities that could be aggravating the patient’s symptoms. This wide-lens consideration of a patient’s lifestyle combined with the educational aspect of physical therapy can teach patients how to make specific health-promoting behavioral shifts that will decrease the likelihood of such problems arising again. Some of the most common areas of focus in physical therapy for chronic pain are:

• Increasing flexibility to alleviate stiffness
• Increasing mobility and range of motion that has been restricted by pain
• Strengthening muscles where weakness contributes to the pain
• Encouraging patients to lead a more active lifestyle

Tom Brocato says that patients who embrace their treatment plans and work closely with their physical therapist will often reap benefits far beyond simply alleviating the pain that initially prompted their search for care. With new knowledge about the motions that relieve and aggravate their symptoms, patients are better equipped to practice health-promoting behaviors, such as engaging in regular physical activity, stretching frequently, and prioritizing sleep. Implementing these healthy habits often will have far-reaching long-term benefits that can improve a patient’s overall health and quality of life.

Conclusion

Physical therapy can have major life-changing impacts on patients with chronic pain by reducing their symptoms and helping them to actively address any lifestyle factors that could cause future health problems. Other benefits of physical therapy include how, unlike pain medications, it isn’t addictive or likely to cause side effects, and it is not invasive like surgery, so it does not require interrupting life for an extended period of time for recovery.