At Brighton Beach Physiotherapy Centre we offer a service that helps people with persisting pain problems. It is however important to understand the difference between acute and chronic/persisting pain.
Acute Pain: In our clinic we regularly deal with acute pain problems with “hands on” physiotherapy such as electrotherapy, manipulation, acupuncture, massage, trigger point therapy and exercises. Acute pain is usually caused by an injury or it can be something inside our bodies telling us there is something wrong and we need to do something about it e.g. seeing your GP. 80% of acute pain often eases by itself within 3 weeks often with no specific intervention. It can also be relieved by medication, having surgery or having some form of manual treatment e.g. physiotherapy.
Chronic/persisting pain: This is pain that persists beyond the 3 month mark. Often there is no physical detectable reason anymore to explain the pain. The pain might be there due to degeneration of the spine/ joints or injury of the nervous system. This pain can start off initially as episodes of pain and then these episodes become more frequent until one day the pain is constant. This persisting pain often causes people to do less and therefore their muscles become weaker and their joints very stiff. This sets in motion a spiral of decreasing activity and the body becomes de-conditioned and not able to cope with activities it was used to doing before. We need our muscles to be strong enough and joints flexible to do certain functional activities such as walking upstairs, lifting, bending forward, participation in sports etc.
Active physiotherapy benefits you with persisting pain as it helps to get your body moving again in a safe and controlled manner. It loosens up joints and strengthens weakened muscles. It is very important to pick the correct and appropriate exercise and to progress with it slowly. Addressing posture through exercise is an integral part of the activity program. Active physiotherapy plays a very important role in helping people with persisting pain return to normal activity levels again. We have a close working relationship with a well known pain specialist to further assist our patients with all the different types of management for persisting pain eg medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, pacing, injections etc.
