Pills VS.Physical Therapy

Physical Therapy is now being widely recognized as a safer alternative to opioid main medications. Not only can prescribed pain medications become addicting and have many side effects, pain medications do not treat the cause or help to heal the underlying injury. Physical therapy addresses the root cause of physical pain, and works toward a goal of managed pain or elimination of pain altogether.⁣ ⁣

The amount of death due to drug overdose in the U.S. in 2018 alone was 67,000. Of those 67,000 deaths, almost 70% were prescription or opioid overdoses. Due to the climbing numbers, the CDC has named physical therapy as an option that “may actually work better” than the often abused painkillers.⁣ ⁣ Physical therapy can be key to non-pharmaceutical treatment and management of both acute and chronic pain.⁣ With strength, flexibility, manual therapy, body mechanics instruction, physical therapists are licensed and trained to identify the root cause of chronic physical pain, along with treatment for surgeries, or injury. An individualized treatment plan with be created to alleviate and can possibly eliminate the pain.⁣ ⁣ Pain sufferers become empowered through physical therapy. With guidance and education, many realize that they can indeed lead pain-free lives without the risky side effects of prescription pain medication.⁣