Movement to Relieve Pain
It is a natural response to want to limit movement when you feel pain after surgery or due to a chronic pain condition, but movement can actually help with pain.
When recovering from surgery, gentle movement helps with healing, even if you feel some pain. Progressively increasing movement can speed up recovery and will help you return to your daily activities more quickly.
When you have chronic pain, movement can help to relieve some pain symptoms and improve your mood and coping ability.
Speak to your healthcare provider about how much movement you can engage in and what movement goals to set. Or, see a physiotherapist for an individualized assessment and recovery plan.
The Transitional Pain Service (TPS) offers patients access to a physiotherapist who can help patients manage pain symptoms and regain physical functioning through individualized assessment and treatment.
Physiotherapy is a recognized health profession that has been proven to be effective in the treatment and management of physical conditions related to illness, injury, or other impairments.
A physiotherapist works with the patient to understand their health concerns, and their pain and mobility issues. They use their in-depth knowledge of how the body moves to assess, diagnose, and treat various conditions and to help with recovery after injury or surgery.
Importantly, a physiotherapists helps patients take an active role in their treatment by teaching them self-management strategies for pain and physical rehabilitation.
Physiotherapy treatments at the TPS clinic may include:
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specialized manual therapy
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myofascial release
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a personalized therapeutic exercise program
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hot and cold application to relieve pain
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recommendation of assistive devices
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education to promote self-management skills
Find more useful resources about physiotherapy by accessing the following sites:
The Transitional Pain Service offers patients acupuncture as an alternative treatment to help with pain relief
Acupuncture is based on a traditional Chinese practice of inserting hair-thin needles into the skin to stimulate nerves, muscles, and connective tissue.
The practice has been adapted in the West and is widely used as an alternative treatment for pain and other conditions.
When performed by an experienced practitioner, acupuncture is a safe treatment that can be beneficial as an addition to conventional pain treatments, like physiotherapy.
Find more useful resources about acupuncture by accessing the following sites: