Pain
/
Lets talk about Pain
Millions of dollars are spent on managing pain. We still know so little about it. Research shows us that the more we understand pain, the better we canmanage it. Dr. John Chester suggests that “treatments which lead to increased patient understanding and an acceptance of personal responsibility for the further course of their life will facilitate participation in health promoting activities…”
Here are some resources for you to browse. Please know that CCPT is available to guide you to a better understanding of your pain to help you become more active in your own self care.
Dr. Lorimer Moseley is a physiotherapist, author of Explain Pain, and researcher. He travels abroad to teach medical practitioners how to treat pain through better education. You can watch his video here.
Tools: Behavioral and helpful tools are relaxation techniques, specifically a Feldenkrais mini lesson called the bell hand. This will help you to shift to a more calm state.
Audio tools: Here are some recommended audio programs that have been found helpful to use at home. These lessons were part of a research study for Mt. St. Mary’s Physical Therapy program.
Books and sites: Here are some books that are worth a try. Painful Yarns is a self help book that was found in the research to be more successful in learning about pain than other medical references. American Pain Association will also help you stay updated with the latest news and resources.
Classes: Yoga, Feldenkrais classes and gentle martial art classes have been found to be a good resource to learn to move with more ease. CCPT provides these classes with not only certified teachers, but they are also registered physical therapists.
Kinesiotape: There are many modalities that CCPT incorporates with PT intervention. We have found many of our patients benefit from learning how to apply kinesiotape for ways to move and manage pain.
Diet: Besides managing your weight, we have found many of our clients respond better to their therapy when they follow an anti-inflammatory diet. If you need help with this, we strongly recommend you see a registered dietician, especially one trained in Motivational Interviewing (MI).
Sleep: Sleep can be challenging in general. When pain is involved, it is even more challenging. Please discuss this with your healthcare practitioner to rule out other issues. Many of the mentioned tools will also help guide you to better sleep. The Huffington Post has even dedicated an entire section on sleep.
Finally, most experts agree to turn off all electronic devices two hours before you retire to sleep. Find ways to be more mindful through the day through breath and movement awareness. This is a short list of the many tools that are available. Contact the physical therapists at CCPT for more information on how to manage your self care.
