by Devin Blessing, DPT, OCS
Is that nagging pain keeping you from staying active? Have you been avoiding exercise or physical activity due to pain? Persistent or chronic pain can have a far reaching impact on your overall health and wellness.
People dealing with persistent pain usually find it difficult to keep a regular exercise routine. Did you know that the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise as a MINIMUM to keep your heart healthy? That means if you are not getting 3-5 days of 30-60 min of moderate exercise, you are not even performing the bare minimum to stave off heart disease.
Unfortunately, heart disease is not the only thing you’re at risk of when dealing with persistent or chronic pain. Research shows that a significantly higher percentage of people dealing with chronic pain are also at risk of depression, anxiety, obesity, sleep disturbances, mood swings and reduced performance in many aspects of life.
The good news is that physical therapy can help! Physical therapy is one of the most research-backed treatment methods for helping people with chronic pain improve their function and quality of life. Through the prescription of appropriate exercises, manual therapy, progressive loading, pain modulation and patient education, we can help get you moving again.
Give physical therapy a try today!