More people in America suffer from pain than diabetes, cancer and heart disease combined. When pain lasts for a long time (3 to 6 months or more), it is called chronic pain. The CDC recently released a report estimating that 50 million Americans, more than 20 percent of the adult population, have chronic pain.

Managing & Treating Your Pain

Chronic pain can have real effects on your day-to-day life and your overall health. Treating chronic pain can be difficult because it varies from person to person as well as many different causes and possible treatments. Developing the right treatment plan for your diagnosis is often the work of a multidisciplinary team of medical professionals. When consulting with your doctor, he may refer you to visit a physical and occupational therapist.

Physical Therapy (PT)
Physical therapy practitioners can assess your chronic pain, and based on your goals, will establish a therapy treatment plan fit for you. Treatment may include both passive and active treatments. Passive treatments help you to relax, while active treatments are therapeutic exercises that strengthen your body and help you deal with your pain.

Occupational Therapy (OT)
Occupational therapy practitioners understand that pain it subjective and complex. OT’s work individually with you to evaluate the pain’s impact on your desired activities and quality of life. They teach you skills and strategies to manage and cope with your pain.

Pain Reducing Technology
Therapists may use non-invasive technology such as Electrical Stimulation (e-stim) which blocks the pain signal to the affected area while reducing inflammation. Also, Ultrasound and a combination of heat and cooling therapies may be used to reduce pain.

If you or a loved one suffer with chronic pain, it is important to pay attention to your body. Be proactive to keep your pain under control. Consult with your doctor and ask if physical and occupational therapy can help you!

References: American Occupational Therapy Association

Article By:  PT in Motion, www.apta.org

Patients with low back pain (LBP) who see a single physical therapist (PT) throughout their episode of care may be less likely to receive surgery and may have lower downstream health care costs, researchers suggest in a study published in the December issue of PTJ (Physical Therapy). “Limiting the number of physical therapy providers during an episode of care might permit cost savings,” authors write. “Health care systems could find this opportunity appealing, as physical therapy provider continuity is a modifiable clinical practice pattern.”

Authors examined data from nearly 2,000 patients in Utah’s statewide All Payer Claims Database (APCD) to look for associations between continuity of care for LBP patients and utilization of related services such as advanced imaging, emergency department visits, epidural steroid injections, and lumbar spine surgery in the year after the first primary care visit for LBP. APTA members John Magel, PT, PhD; Anne Thackeray, PT; and Julie Fritz, PT, PhD, FAPTA, were among the authors of the study.

Patients were between the ages of 18 to 64 who saw a PT within 30 days of a primary care visit for LBP. Researchers excluded patients with certain nonmusculoskeletal conditions; neurological conditions, such as spinal cord injury, that could affect patient management; and “red flag” conditions such as bone deficit or cauda equina syndrome.

Researchers found that greater provider continuity significantly decreased the likelihood of receiving subsequent lumbar spine surgery, noting that “disparate management strategies across a variety of providers might inhibit or prolong the recovery in a patient with a worsening condition and contribute to the patient eventually receiving lumbar surgical intervention.” They also note that a strong therapeutic alliance is associated with improved outcomes.

Contrary to authors’ expectations, high provider continuity was not associated with decreased use of advanced imaging, steroid injections, or emergency department visits. “The timing of physical therapy for LBP might have a greater impact on these outcomes than does provider continuity,” they suggest. Researchers did find a link between use of these services and the presence of comorbidities, previous lumbar surgery, and use of prescription opioids or oral steroids.

The average cost of care in the year following the initial primary care visit was $1,826 per patient. Costs were slightly less, at $1,737, for the 90% of patients with high provider continuity but rose to $2,577 for patients with a lower level of provider continuity.

While the study’s findings do not identify any cause-and-effect relationships, “it seems reasonable that physical therapists should consider approaches to managing patients with LBP that limit provider discontinuity,” authors write.

Click here to continue reading this article.

 


 

Speak with your doctor to find out how therapy could benefit you!

Thrive Successful Care Transitions

We provide a step-by-step implementation guide for successful addition to your care transitions strategy.

HTS is excited to introduce Thrive, a successful care transitions program designed for skilled care providers. Thrive was developed by a collaboration of HTS therapists, partner communities, nurse practitioners and physicians to create a robust, turn-key system to implement successful transitions of care. This program is perfect for post-discharge from skilled nursing back into the community, or to an senior living campus.

Core Objectives:

  • Follow Patient For Up To 90 Days Post-discharge
  • Utilize a Turn-key System For All Members of the Care Team
  • Provide Risk Stratification for Potentially Preventable SNF 30-day Readmissions
  • Reduce Hospital Readmissions with a Collective & Thorough Approach

Thrive is evidence-based and focused on empowering and equipping each member of the care team with the necessary tools to promote the best outcomes for each patient.

Elements of the Thrive Program:

  • Pre-discharge Patient Consultation Tool
  • Rehabilitation Successful Care Transitions Planner
  • Community Resources & Support Guide
  • Discharge IDT Family/Stakeholder Meeting Guide
  • Post-Discharge Communication Guide
  • Quarterly Analysis
  • Thrive Patient Outcomes Tracker

HTS will be rolling out Thrive to all partnering communities. Our proprietary clinical programs are just another way that we move our clients forward as leaders of rehabilitation in the markets they serve.