How To Get Your Pain-Free Lifestyle Back

1. How To Get Your Pain-Free Lifestyle Back

2. Synopsis • A Safe and Effective Chronic Pain Management Alternative • Runner Dealing With Shin Splints? Beat The Pain With Physio • The Art Of Healing Hamstring Strains • Treating Bursitis in a Couple Of Minutes • Radial Shockwave Therapy – A Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis? Science Says Yes

3. A Safe and Effective Chronic Pain Management Alternative • Manual physical therapy – the remedy for chronic pain • Four out of ten patients with chronic pain already report that manual therapy such as massage or chiropractic care have worked incredibly well for them.1 Therapists have the ability to use an array of techniques manipulated by hand with the aim of reducing pain in the body’s soft tissue. The therapy is characterized by its flexibility and thus the power to be adapted according to the patient’s many needs. • It is easy to imagine it as a journey towards health with implications in preventing, managing and treating the root of the problem. Once the examination is complete, the therapist will evaluate and interpret the results to identify the cause. Following this, a program is designed to care for that specific problem, regardless if it’s low back pain, neck or another musculoskeletal condition. • Usually, techniques involve spinal manipulation to improve joint mobility and strength, a combination of stretching and postural exercises, and tailored physical training. The treatment plan is completed with education and counsel to better manage the pain and minimize the risk of occurrence. Another benefit is the level of support offered. Physical therapists are there as a health partner working by the patient’s side to improve their overall health and well-being.

4. Runner Dealing With Shin Splints? Beat The Pain With Physio • Shin splints are an extremely painful and stubborn to heal injury affecting the front or side of the lower leg, near the tibia. They often involve small leg muscle tears with more complicated cases even fracturing the bone. • The best thing a runner can do in this situation is to seek help from a physiotherapist. There are a number of techniques available which can be individually or combined customized for a patient’s specific needs. Among them, a therapist can use load modification, manual physical therapy, athletic tapping, custom orthotics or acupuncture. • Exercise-wise, there are a couple of exercises recommended on a regular basis for runners to avoid and alleviate shin pain. Toe raises, arch raising – lowering, calf and bent leg stretches are among the most popular ones in ameliorating pain and they work to strengthen the muscle in front of the shin. A foam roller calf massager can also provide relief and help loosen muscle tension. • The conservative treatment of shin splints begins with rest, usually for a period between two to six weeks depending on the severity of the case. The next step involves a change of training conditions since following an injury it is highly risky to get back to training with full force. Moderation in exercising and a decrease in running distance, intensity and frequency by 50% is the safest way to begin with.

5. The Art Of Healing Hamstring Strains • The main goal of physiotherapy here is to restore the person’s functions, help them return to performing the sport and provide support to minimize the risk of relapsing. Initially, the patient undergoes a full examination during which the severity of the case is graded. In more complex cases, MRI and ultrasound scans are used to detect the exact location and extent of the strain. • Immediate treatment aims to stop the bleeding, prevent scarring and reduce muscle tissue damage. A therapist will recommend cold compression, elevation, rest and immobilization in the primary phase of the treatment. It has been observed that following such injuries affect athletes in different ways depending on the sport they practice. Runners for instance require a break of 16 weeks, soccer players can do with as little as 14 days while dancers may need up to 50 weeks. • Following this period, an active rehabilitation plan can be put in place. Physiotherapists recommend kicking this off as soon as possible to ensure optimal results. In early stages, gentle resistance exercises and a stretching program are vital in avoiding the scarring of tissue which occurs during healing.

6. Treating Bursitis in a Couple Of Minutes • Radial shockwave therapy is becoming an invaluable option from the care toolbox with a significant number of clinical trial results available to back it up. One study comparing two groups of patients with chronic hip pain syndrome has shown benefits of low-energy shockwave therapy after one, three and 12 months follow-up and substantial improvements in contrast to the group receiving other therapies. Noteworthy are the results pinpointing to the long-term results achieved over time. • Radial Shockwave Therapy has been practiced since the mid-1980s and it originated in Europe. There is a common misconception around the fact that it is a painful and invasive option with many people even believing it leads to scarring and worsening the situation. This is not the case. A shockwave therapist is a trained professional that has the necessary baggage of information and skills to safely perform the technique, keeping discomfort to a minimum. • After a therapist carries out an assessment and decides alongside the patient what the goals of the treatment are, a program of therapy sessions, preferably on a weekly basis, is put in place. It is important to stress that a patient is not administered an electrical shock, but physically generated high energy sound waves. This stimulates healing as pressure is transferred through the tissues and reaches the bursa, boosting cell activity between connective nerves and bones.

7. Radial Shockwave Therapy – A Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis? Science Says Yes • Radial shockwave therapy has been FDA approved for years now for the treatment of plantar fasciitis in the United States. Prior to this and ever since, a significant number of clinical trials have been conducted in order to demonstrate its applications across various musculoskeletal conditions, including plantar fasciitis. One placebo-controlled multicentre trial has reported superior improvements experienced in the treatment group than in the placebo one. Another one has shown that after only two months patients receiving shockwave therapy reported greater satisfaction and high heel pain alleviation. • Additionally, results have been proven to be consistent for as many as three months following treatment. All studies have demonstrated that radial shockwave therapy plays a key role in the healing process of plantar fasciitis and a growing number of people report a great reduction in pain. • The current standard of treatment includes stretching, injections and surgical treatment. All of these options put the patient through a great deal of pain and add up to the already existing burden. With radial shockwave therapy, patients feel a slight discomfort only while the treatment is administered. Considering it lasts a couple of minutes, this type of therapy has a great tolerance and the outcomes are better.

8. The End • For more details, please visit: • http://stalbertphysiotherapy.com/blog/