Hands-On Care Physical Therapy of New York Reports Physical Therapy Helps Prevent Painkiller Abuse
Astoria, NY (PRWEB) July 04, 2014 -- Physical therapy shown to increase patients' control of pain, eliminating much of the need for painkillers.
According to the Center For Disease Control, Americans makes up 5% of the world’s population, but consume 75% of the world’s prescription drugs. The most abused of these drugs is painkillers.
In 2012 doctors in the United States wrote 259 million prescriptions for opioid painkillers, enough to give a bottle of the pills to every adult in the country.
"Overdoses from opioid narcotics are a serious problem across the country and we know opioid overdoses tend to be highest where opioids get the highest use," says CDC director Tom Frieden.
To reduce the dependence and abuse of prescription painkillers it would make sense to reduce the need for prescribing them in the first place. This is where physical therapy can make a huge difference in not only pain management but future quality of life as well.
When a physical therapist works with a patient suffering from pain, the focus is on providing the tools and knowledge to help the patient control their own pain. Education on posture, pacing, proper exercise (strengthening, stretching, aerobic and motor control) and remaining active are key elements. Physical therapy approaches to pain management also encompass manual therapies such as massage, joint mobilization and manipulation, electrical stimulation (an electronic device that is commonly used for temporary pain relief), heat (hot packs, ultrasound), and cold (ice pack, ice bath).
While drug therapy for pain is sometimes needed, physical therapy can lessen this need, or at times, prevent it entirely.
Hands-On Physical Therapy has four offices in New York City: Astoria (Queens); Bay Ridge (Brooklyn) and two in Manhattan. To learn more about Hands-On Physical Therapy of New York, please visit http://HandsonPT.org or call (888) 626-2699
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Dan Bulger, Hands-On News, http://www.handsonpt.org, 888.626.2699, [email protected]
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