You are suffering from chronic pain for as long as you can remember and you’re finally ready to improve your quality of life by reducing the pain.

Physical therapy and opioids, both could help reduce your pain, but only one will help you get to the source of your pain and improve your lifestyle.

Physical therapy and pain management go hand-in-hand. Let’s help you decide which option might be better for you.

Which one should you choose from Physical Therapy and Opioids?

If you’ve been dealing with chronic pain or are suffering from pain from a recent injury, you might be weighing your options of pursuing physical therapy or managing your pain with opioids.

Although both options could help relieve your pain, choosing to use physical therapy to get to the root of your pain problem is likely the better option.

Why physical therapy is better?

• Help with mobility & flexibility
• Help you find the source of your pain rather than just masking it as opioids will do
• Help you to stay more active
• Provide long-term relief rather than relief in small doses

SOS PHYSIO Rehab’s physical therapists are professionals who can help you deal with your pain and gain and maintain strength and mobility.

The Pros and Cons – MEDICATION

ADVANTAGES OF TAKING OPIOIDS

When taken correctly, opioid usage for pain management can be very beneficial. Although they can be helpful, they are usually not suggested to help relieve chronic pain before trying other methods like physical therapy.

Different types of opioids are used to treat different kinds of chronic pain and provide both short and long-term effects to those with moderate to severe pain.

How do opioids work?

Opioids attach to proteins in your body (opioid receptors) to help reduce your perception of pain, allowing you not to feel your pain as intensely.

The relief from the pain can help to improve:

• Appetite
• Sleep
• Energy
• Quality of life
• Mood

DISADVANTAGES OF TAKING OPIOIDS

After taking opioids, many experiences at least one of the following side effects-

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Sleep problems
• Impaired concentration
• Confusion
• Memory issues
• Weight gain
• Dry mouth
• Dry skin
• Excessive sweating Drowsiness
• Loss of appetite
• Sex dysfunction

Opioid addiction and abuse are also major concerns because of how common they are and how easily they can happen.

The Pros and Cons- PHYSICAL THERAPY

ADVANTAGES OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

• Finding the root of your pain problems and fixing them
• Possibly avoiding surgery to help eliminate the pain
• Properly healing from surgery if necessary
• Managing pain from chronic conditions
• Managing age-related issues

DISADVANTAGES OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

• Available physical therapy facilities might lack the necessary equipment
• Your body might reluctant to respond to treatment

Physical Therapy Vs. Medicine: Is There a Time and Place for Each?

Opioids work by temporarily blocking pain sensations while also releasing chemicals that calm your body and emotions. They might bring your pain level down or block it for a short time, but it inevitably comes back.

Physical therapy is meant to find the source of your pain and ultimately heal the problem.

Depending on your pain problems, both physical therapy and opioids have their place.

CAN YOU TAKE PAIN MEDICATION WHILE DOING PHYSICAL THERAPY?

You can take pain medication while doing physical therapy, but the ultimate goal of physical therapy is to get you to a place where you no longer need pain medication to function daily.

Physical therapists at SOS PHYSIO Rehab are trained to get to the root of your pain problem to:

• Improve your mobility, strength, and function
• Reduce or eliminate your pain
• Decrease or eliminate pain medication usage
• Increase your quality of life

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