What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is defined as pain in a region that lasts for more than three months. The difference between acute pain (pain that lasts less than 30 days) and chronic pain is only the length of time someone experiences the pain.
For individuals experiencing chronic pain, they can experience marked changes in their daily lifestyles. Activities, jobs, and even social gatherings can become difficult for individuals experiencing chronic pain.
Do I Have Chronic Pain?
Have you been experiencing pain in one location for an extended period of time? If your answer is yes, you may be experiencing chronic pain.
Even if the pain temporarily goes away, chronic pain can still exist if the pain comes back.
How Pain Becomes More Chronic and Persistent
The short answer is chronic pain can originate in many different ways.
While science does understand the physiological markers of chronic pain, there are many different ways chronic pain can develop. Ultimately, the common link between different types of chronic pain is someone's experience of long-lasting, persistent pain.
How to Manage Persistent Pain
Because chronic pain is a daily experience for many people, managing and treating chronic pain can be difficult to do alone.
Successful management of chronic pain usually includes specialists or professionals from a few different disciplines, including psychology, physical therapy, and physiology (like a doctor).
While medicine (like opioids) can temporarily relieve some of chronic pain, long-lasting treatment comes from addressing the underlying issues causing the pain.
Our role is helping patients experiencing chronic pain understand where the pain is coming from, which (if any) movements or exercises may help, and how they can apply their new understanding of chronic pain to their daily lives.
Primary Pain
Post-Traumatic Pain
Neuropathic Pain
Headache or Orofacial Pain
Visceral Pain
Musculoskeletal Pain
Our Customized Treatments for Chronic Pain
Over the years, we've worked with many patients experiencing chronic issues. Because each individual's experience of pain is different, our therapists focus on building a plan that's unique to each patient - one that accounts for different lifestyles, life experiences, and experiences of pain.
If you're experiencing chronic ailments pain and you're interested in trying a different physical therapy approach to managing your symptoms, our physical therapists are ready and happy to help you on your path to recovery.