Chronic pain affects millions of Americans. Are you one of them? Perhaps you haven’t given it all that much thought during your busy week. You have kids to take to practice! Projects to finish, deadlines to meet and places to be. When you have a sore neck or stiff back you pop a few painkillers and consider it a job well done. When that pain doesn’t go away, though…you may just be in for the long haul. Physical therapy is the resource you tap into when those aches and pains don’t go away after a hot bath, delving into the root of the issue to provide you relief that lasts.
Rather than get used to hip pain or knee pain, give yourself a refresher on physical therapy so you can live the life you deserve.
Chronic pain is just as varied as the people it afflicts. It can be minor to moderate, able to be tempered but not removed through painkillers and heating pads. It can be so severe it requires physical surgery. Knee pain has been found to be the second most common source of chronic pain in the United States and can manifest as stiffness, burning or significantly reduced mobility. Physical therapy for hip pain has also been on the rise, particularly with America’s aging population and the increasing awareness of what physical therapy can do for chronic pain sufferers.
Other common contributors to chronic pain are sports injuries. The National Center For Health Statistics has reported over five million sports related injuries happen on a yearly basis, with some even causing people to have to retire from sports altogether if they don’t seek treatment. Hip pain affects around 7% of the American population, to boot, and is starting to see a resurgence in physical therapy for hip pain. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis that’s characterized by minor wears and tears in the joints that results in swelling, stiffness and, in many cases, extreme pain.
Lower and upper back pain are incredibly common and as many as 31 million Americans suffer from this condition at any given point in time. These are usually caused by years of poor posture, constant strain from work, age and any combination of the above. There are ways to reduce the possibility of lower back pain, such as lifting heavy objects with weight on your legs rather than your shoulders, as well as resources for relaxing sore muscles. When the agony doesn’t go away? It’s time to look into physical therapy for hip pain.
Physical therapy treats any number of conditions. Physical therapy for hip pain, knee pain, lower back pain, you name it. Even better? The industry is starting to see more and more new workers. By the time 2022 rolls around the Bureau Of Labor Statistics projects that physical therapist employment will grow by an impressive 36% — in other words, you won’t have to look very far to find a physical therapist practice that can diagnose your symptoms and start delivering on a slow and steady recovery. Where can you get started on the way to a healthier and happier life?
Chronic pain is easy to spot. If you have constant stiffness, soreness, burning, aching or mobility issues that occur multiple times per week and last longer than three months it’s possible you have untreated chronic pain. Visiting a physical therapist and getting a simple check-up will determine the root of your pain as well as the various treatment methods needed to get you back up to speed. Try to create a schedule or list of when your symptoms are at their worst as well as any outlying factors, such as age or illness, that could be contributing.
Your chronic pain doesn’t have to be just another thing to live with. See how Belleuve physical therapy or Lake Sammamish physical therapy can have you feeling your best in the Pacific Northwest.