Should physical therapy be painful
Recently, I was at an event at my daughter’s school. I got talking to a new mom there (her 4 week old baby was sleeping in the carseat). We were talking smalltalk, but I asked a few questions about her and baby. Then we started talking about work. I told her that I am a pregnancy and postpartum physical therapist and she cringed. I gave her my card as I so often do for women with brand new babies. She responded, “no thanks, I did that before and I never want to feel that awful pain again.”
This response broke my heart! Physical therapy should not be painful! I find pain, and on rare occasions I have to stay on that pain, but I do everything I can to get away from pain as quickly as possible. My goal is for every treatment that I provide to give you a little (or a lot) of relief. Sometimes I cause uncomfortable sensations, but I stop and change course if my client describes my treatment as painful. This is especially true when we are talking about delicate and sensitive areas of the body. If you see a physical therapist (for any part of your body) and feel they have caused you pain, then please find a different provider.
Now let’s talk about some of the techniques I use to reduce pain:
Strain/counterstrain: I love using this technique in the pelvis because I find pain and then utilize the movement of the body to make it go away. When I find sensitive areas, I move my client’s body to relieve that pain and then hold the body in this position until the sensitivity is reduced. This technique is very effective and very gentle. I am frequently called a miracle worker.
Visceral mobilization: This is a technique where I apply gentle pressures to the body to help it to wake up. The body does not like forceful touch and responds much better to gentle touch. These techniques are very specific, so I do not need to use a lot of force.
Relaxation techniques: Anxiety, fear, and stress increase pain. If I find a client who is very sensitive to touch I utilize relaxation techniques to help the body prepare for touch. You would be shocked how often simple breathing exercises can reduce pain.
Hopefully this post has reduced some anxiety about physical therapy. If you are ready to give it a shot and treat your pain then set up your free phone consult now here.