Treating Chronic Pain

Did you ever wonder why we have pain?  We have pain to warn and protect us.  Pain keeps us from touching the hot stove that would give us a burn.  When we sprain our elbow, pain gives us a warning not to use it while it is healing and the swelling acts as a mini cast to hold things in place.  Pain should facilitate healing because when we are in pain we don’t move.  So you can see pain and swelling have a purpose, and when that purpose is complete the pain and swelling should go away and pain-free movement should return.  At Patterson Physical Therapy & Wellness Center, we believe that the pain should go away after an injury is healed and you should return to what you love.

Pain comes from inflammation.  When the pain persists it means that there is still an inflammatory response going on.  Inflammation brings with it different degrees of swelling, redness and/or tenderness.

If the body continues to produce inflammation after healing has run its course pain can persist.  This type of pain, when experienced for greater than 6 months, is called chronic pain.   Chronic inflammation, which gives chronic pain, can progress to increased tissue damage over time.   The areas of your body that are most susceptible for becoming painful are those that are weak or already damaged.  At Patterson Physical Therapy & Wellness Center we are committed to finding and eliminating the source(s) of your pain whether they are biomechanical (nerve and muscles and bones) or nutritional or postural.

At Patterson, we’re different in that we bring a fresh holistic approach to treating your pain.  Our physical therapists, massage therapist, acupuncturist and nutritionist work as a team to get you back to what you love in life — pain free!