Physical therapy is something that many people around the world may need if they are suffering from chronic pain, or if they are recovering from an injury or surgery. Many types of pain and physical ailments may lead a person to need such healing, and pain relief can be had when the right therapy method is chosen, ranging from chiropracty to yoga to acupuncture, and even ultrasound therapy methods to soothe nerve pain. Often, back pain and joint pain affect the most patients in the United States today, and non-invasive therapy methods such as yoga and ultrasound can be used for tissue damage and chronic pain. What might a yoga course do for someone? And what is ultrasound therapy?
Causes of Pain
A patient might need yoga, a chiropractor, or ultrasound therapy for a number of reasons. Pain is not rare by any measure; in fact, nearly 1.5 billion people suffer from chronic pain around the world, and pain from arthritis and back and spine issues are common among American adults today. Experts say that as many as 80% of Americans may experience back pain at some point in their lives, and around 50% of working Americans admit to having back pain, which can be caused either by spinal issues or muscle problems in the lower back. Physically demanding jobs such as working on construction sites can cause this pain, or recovering from an injury such as getting hit by a car. Other times, it is simple old age that can cause issues with the spine as it slowly collapses due to many decades of upright body posture. Many Americans report that chronic back pain interferes with their quality of life; about 59% of those surveyed said as much, and this means that many people are unhappy with their daily lives due to pain. They will certainly want to have something done about it.
Other pain types exist as well. In fact, around 20 million Americans suffer from one type or another of peripheral neuropathy, often weakness, numbness, or even pain associated with nerve damage. This is most common in the hands and feet. Most often, this condition comes from damage to the peripheral nervous system, and this is another major source of chronic pain outside of lower back issues. But a person suffering from pain does not have to resign themselves to a lifetime of pain. Therapy is always available.
Therapy Methods
One such method for dealing with chronic pain is ultrasound. First developed in the 1940s, an ultrasound device is handheld and can be pressed to the patient’s skin above the afflicted area, meaning that it is completely non-invasive, an aspect of this therapy that many will find attractive. But the therapist must be careful so that there is no air pocket between the ultrasound machine’s head and the skin, or else the sound waves are disrupted. But if done correctly, this therapy method has often demonstrated itself as effective, and can deal with nerve, muscle, or bone pain at joints or along the limbs. A person may visit a clinic multiple times for this therapy to get their pain taken care of.
Other non-invasive methods for physical therapy are available for those who suffer chronic pain, especially those with joint, lower back, or muscle issues. A patient suffering from a spinal problem may not want risky and invasive surgery, so instead, they may opt to visit a chiropractor, who will specialize in treating bone issues. Yoga, while sometimes only used for personal relaxation, is in fact a potent tool for therapy, too, even for serious joint or spine problems that cause chronic pain. A patient suffering from back or spine pain may look up local yoga studios or clinics and hire a yoga trainer, and this trainer will guide the patient through private lessons to help them relieve their pain. Yoga experts will know exactly how to bend and stretch the body in safe and effective ways, and this allows the patient to relieve pinched nerves, compressed bones, or cramped muscles and relieve their pain, no medication or surgery needed. After a number of these sessions, a patient may find themselves freed of their pain.