PAIN MANAGEMENT
Acute / Chronic
Acute pain normally comes on immediately following an injury or a stimulus which provokes a body pain response. Pain is classified as acute /subacute if it is lasting less than 3 months. During this time physiotherapy aims to reduce this pain through various hands-on treatment modalities as well as a home exercise programme which may include things like ice therapy to alleviate the pain.
Chronic pain is seen as pain that lasts more than 3 months and is sometimes termed persistent pain or long-term pain. This type of pain requires a different hands-on approach and usually requires more exercise prescription to help overcome. Heat therapy is generally seen as a good adjunct for this pain.
Nerve Related Pain
Nerve based pain sometimes termed neuropathic pain or neuralgia is when there is an injury or condition that affects the nerves around the injury site which carry a pain sensory input to your brain.
Nerve pain often feels like a shooting, stabbing or burning sensation and can often be sharp and felt suddenly on certain movements.
Physiotherapy aims to restore the normal function of the tissue surrounding the nerve involved to help alleviate the pressure on the nerve through the use of hands-on treatment, strapping and exercise prescription.