Jill Phelan, PT, DPT, Cert. DN

Pain is a natural and normal human experience for each one of us (no one likes to hear that, but it is true!). In part, pain is a survival mechanism to protect ourselves. It is your body's way of alerting you to either actual or potential risk of tissue damage.

There are multiple types of pain, pain qualities and pain severity but most simply we have acute and chronic pain. Acute pain occurs quickly and suddenly and most of the time is associated with an injury or trauma. Usually, acute pain is managed and can dissipate within approximately 12 weeks or less with independent care or minimal intervention.

Acute pain can however turn into its much darker cousin chronic pain. Imagine "throwing your back out" from working at home or in the yard. You rest it, modify your activities, maybe wear a brace, and utilize ice/heat. You steadily transition into your normal activities over the next few weeks. Now imagine you are almost to your peak of recovery then you reinjure your back by a fall or lifting your child/grandchild.

Your pain can then return full force but does not resolve as it normally would and, suddenly, weeks can turn into months of pain and result in functional decline, poor sleeping quality, decreased work and home participation and even depression. At this point, most people turn to a medical professional in an attempt to figure out what is going on and what is the source of the problem. Chronic pain can also be a result of conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, effects from COVID and migraines. Often, physical therapy is a great option for all these conditions (and much more), particularly as an alternative to surgery and heavy medication.

Based on an individual's pain presentation, physical therapists can try multiple approaches in an attempt to reduce and hopefully abolish one's pain so that he or she can complete his or her normal daily activities, return to recreational activities or sleep more comfortably with less irritability. Whether it be pain management modalities (ice, heat, ultrasound, dry needling, electrical stimulation), specific and specialized exercise, recommended activity modification or varying manual therapy techniques a combination of treatments can be utilized to assist each person's presented issue and diagnosis going towards their specific end goal.

Every individual is different as is their pain. We as physical therapists at Professional Rehabilitation Services treat every patient with an impairment-based approach, meaning the focus of each patient's care is centered around their own specific limitations and restrictions.

So, if you or someone you know is having musculoskeletal pain and would like to know more about physical therapy options for chronic pain, seek the consultation of a physical therapist at one of our NINE locations or see your physician for a referral to one of our facilities.

For further information on this or other related topics you can contact Richard DeFalco, DPT, OCS, CSCS, CWcHP at Professional Rehabilitation Services (Myrtle Beach) (843) 839-1300, Brian P. Kinmartin PT, DPT, MTC, STC, OCS, CWcHP (Pawleys Island) (843) 235-0200, Richard A. Owens, MPT, OCS, Cert. SMT, CWcHP (Surfside) (843) 831-0163, Jill P. Phelan, PT, DPT, Cert. DN (Conway) (843) 773-3031, Lisa O'Brien, PT, DPT, Cert. DN (Murrells Inlet) (843) 314-3224, Karl Ehlers, PT, DPT, Cert. DN (Little River) (843) 281- 4222, Samantha Crisafulli PT, DPT (Carolina Forest) (843) 282-0440, Zach Daniels PT, DPT (Market Commons) (843) 213-6338, Brandon Stanley PT, DPT, Cert. DN (Longs) (843) 491-0388 or visit our website at www.prsrehabservices.com where you can learn more about the company and even download a referral form for your physician to fill out. You can also call and schedule a free 15-minute consultation.