In our last blog post, we talked about the different kinds of pains and why pain should not be ignored. Pain is a signal to us, telling us that something isn’t right. Patients often use different types of descriptors to qualify their pain. Some pain feels like a burning or throbbing sensation, while other pain can feel like a stabbing or shooting sensation. Regardless of what it feels like, the pain you experience should not be ignored completely.
The question we often get from patients or people considering physical therapy is, “If not all pain requires medical attention, then when should I seek medical attention?”
If the pain becomes unbearable, more intense over time, or spreads to other parts of your body, then we recommend you seek professional medical attention. Most people choose to first contact their primary care physician or visit an urgent care clinic. There are also local injury clinics that can be utilized. However, there are many situations where the first step can be visiting a physical therapist.
Not everyone knows that a physical therapist can be your first contact to evaluate your condition before treatment. In the state of Michigan, it is now legal for patient to see a PT prior to going to the doctor. However, in some cases, your insurance carrier will still require you to have a doctor’s prescription (aka: script) for physical therapy. If that is the case, then your family physician (or a specialist, even your dentist – yes, we treat TMJ as well!) can write you a script, and we’ll be on our way with treatment!
Why you should seek professional medical treatment
There are many ways that people treat the pain they experience. Many people will take to stretching or rolling their affected body part. This is a very common way to treat pain. In fact, in some cases this is exactly the way we instruct our patients to manage the pain in between treatment sessions.
For example, many people who suffer from plantar fasciitis will stretch their calves and Achilles tendon, or use a spiked ball to roll their foot on. However, there are some conditions that roller balls and stretches could make the issue worse. Improper or too aggressive rolling and stretching could strain the stressed tissue even more. This is a perfect example of when seeking professional medical attention is recommended.
In other cases, some people will ignore their pain completely, going years without treatment. This can cause significant and even permanent damage to the body and can make physical therapy interventions less effective.
Why pain medications aren’t always the answer
Some people attempt to mask or reduce the warning signs from the body by using pain medications. Sometimes people will use over the counter medications. Others will use leftover medications from an old prescription, or even use someone else’s medication. Using old medications or medications from another person is NEVER recommend and can cause serious, even life-threatening complications. Mistreating pain medications can become addictive, cause severe damage, or even be deadly. Although we never prescribe medication as it is not in our scope of practice, we cannot stress enough that you NEVER use another person's medication.
While pain medications may be part of your treatment plan (as prescribed by your doctor), it must be directly prescribed and monitored by a physician.
Physical therapy can be an excellent and safe way to treat pain. This is just one of the many reasons why we do what we do at Wertz Orthopedic Physical Therapy. Our ultimate goal to help set up the body to heal itself and relieve the pain properly. Ignoring the pain can cause more damage and treating the pain with medications only prolongs the issues if not causes more problems down the road.