Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than about three months, and it is real. Physical therapy is a safe way to manage it without relying on medication, which many people want when searching for pain management without opioids, using gradual movement, hands-on care and education. Spine & Rehab Specialists treats chronic pain at our Edgemere and Physicians clinics in El Paso, Texas.
Why pain that won't go away can outlast the injury
Chronic pain can affect your sleep, your mood, your work and your relationships. It often starts with something physical, such as an injury or surgery that did not heal as well as hoped, arthritis, nerve damage, poor posture and movement habits, or emotional stress and tension.
If you have persistent pain, the nervous system can become more sensitive over time, a change called central sensitization. Then pain continues after the tissue has healed, or hurts more than the original problem seems to warrant. It does not mean the pain is imagined. It means treatment has to work on movement and the nervous system, not just the sore spot.
Chronic pain treatment: what we use
This is non-surgical pain relief, and it is built from several methods. Your therapist chooses among them.
- Manual therapy: hands-on techniques that reduce pain and improve mobility (see manual therapy)
- Therapeutic exercise: customized routines to build strength and flexibility
- Neuromuscular re-education, using direct current stimulation to retrain movement patterns (see our Neubie page)
- Functional dry needling to release tight muscles and reduce nerve irritation (see dry needling)
- Postural training to improve alignment and reduce strain
- Education on managing your pain and preventing flare-ups
- Heated aquatic therapy at our Physicians clinic when walking or exercise on land is too hard (see aquatic therapy)
Why movement helps more than rest
Rest feels sensible when something hurts, but long rest weakens muscles and joints, and a sensitive nervous system treats unfamiliar movement as a threat. The answer is not pushing through pain. It is gradual progress: starting at a level you can tolerate, building slowly and pacing your activity so you do not boom and bust. Therapists call this graded activity, and it is a core part of long-term pain care.
Progress is judged on function first and pain second. Walking farther, sleeping better, lifting your grandchild and getting through a work day count, even while pain is still there. Many patients find that pain eases as function returns.
Common sources of long-term pain we treat
Back and neck
Gentle exercise and hands-on therapy to relieve tension and improve movement.
Nerve and surgical pain
Nerve irritation, and pain that lingers after an operation.
Working with your doctor or pain specialist
We do not replace your doctor or pain specialist. Many patients see both, and we share what we are doing with your physician when appropriate. Pelvic pain is also long-term pain in some patients, and has its own page at Pelvic Pain.
Chronic pain relief in El Paso, Texas
You don't have to live with pain that will not quit. Call our Edgemere or Physicians clinic, or request an appointment. In many cases you do not need a referral in Texas, and we can help verify your insurance requirements before your first visit.
We see patients at our Edgemere and Physicians clinics in El Paso, Texas.