Find Relief with the Help of an Experienced Physical Therapist
In the time following permanent injuries, there can be an immense amount of work that the body needs to undergo through physical therapy in order to recover. Depending on the type of injury, this can involve simple treatments such as strengthening exercises, or more complex ones like mobility restoration and chronic pain management.
Acute and chronic permanent injuries can include disc herniation, knee surgery, nerve damage, amputation and reflex sympathetic dystrophy. While treatment varies from issue to issue, physical therapy’s capacity to help improve long term quality of life is significant.
5 Things to Understand About Acute and Chronic Permanent Injuries and their Treatment
Acute and chronic permanent injuries can have a big impact on a patient’s ability to get through even the most basic parts of daily life. While everyone’s experience is different, here are 5 key things to understand about these injuries and the treatment process:
- What it is: Acute pain from permanent injuries manifests quickly and typically only lasts a short amount of time. Chronic pain on the other hand may manifest slower but lasts for long periods. When resulting from a permanent injury, each in their own way poses significant challenges to those who suffer from it, severely disrupting life. Since this is the result of a permanent injury, there can also be significant negative effects on a patient’s mental health, which may already be impacted by the injury itself.
- How it feels: From sudden stabs of pain to more general throbbing sensations, the exact experience of each patient varies according to the circumstances of their injury. However, some common effects from this are: feelings of anxiety and depression, you are unable to do anything to minimize pain, you feel like it gets worse when you think about it, and overall fatigue.
- Symptoms: If left unaddressed, the impact of acute and chronic pain on a person’s life can be immensely negative. People may feel a sense of fearfulness about their pain and potential causes, weight loss or gain may result from the worsening of the condition, and people may become more dependent on pain medications. As pain continues, a person’s ability to perform the basic functions required of them from day to day may be impacted, leading to downward spirals which can be difficult to break.
- Diagnosis: When meeting with a potential candidate for physical therapy for the first time, a physical therapist will ask questions and perform a series of tests in order to assess the patient’s condition. Before any treatment can begin, it is important to have a clinical diagnosis on which the treatment can be based. Following this, a plan for ongoing physical therapy will go into effect.
- Treatment: The actual physical therapy treatment process can be quite involved and requires total commitment from the patient in order for it to be successful. This sometimes involves everything from cardio and resistance-based exercise to dietary management. Depending on the type of permanent injury being treated, therapy may last only a few sessions or may continue as long as several years. Following the end of treatment, the patient will be expected to maintain their strength and wellness through exercises that they can do on their own.
If you are suffering as a result of permanent injuries and think you may benefit from physical therapy, now is the time to act and begin the process of improving your quality of life. With the help of a physical therapist, acute and chronic pain can be managed to reduce the negative effects and regain some level of normalcy.
At the Medical Rehabilitation Centers of PA, we have over 40 years of experience working with patients suffering from a wide range of injuries and diseases. Our reputation for excellent patient care comes from our careful treatment process, which is tailor-made to the unique needs of each individual.
To learn more about our physical therapy services for people suffering from permanent injuries, book your appointment, contact us at the location of your choice, or complete our online form and our team will get back to you as soon as possible.