Millions of people worldwide suffer from various types of pain and inflammation which disrupt their normal lives. Severe pain impacts daily routines and recreational activities and has a tremendous effect on a person’s ability to focus, relax and enjoy life. It also creates mental stress and anxiety as continuous pain can causes impairments in independent living and finally leads to depression. Therefore, it is best not to ignore symptoms of swelling and aches especially if they persist for long times.

There are several methods of treating chronic pain and inflammation like medication, surgery and physical therapy. Amongst these, physical therapy rehabilitation is one of the best choices as it aids in better pain management and regaining mobility. JH Rehabilitation is one of the best rehabilitation centres in Chennai that offers a promising treatment for all pain-related issues. It is one of the few centres in India where rehabilitation is done under the direct supervision of a physician for best healthcare outcomes. Customized therapy is administered by a comprehensive team that also has some of the best physiotherapists in Chennai. Besides physiotherapy in Chennai, JH Rehabilitation is known for reliable services like inpatient rehab in Chennai, speech therapy in Chennai and occupational therapy in Chennai.

Rehabilitation Approaches for Pain and Inflammation

Expert therapists use multiple forms of interventions for rehabilitation to treat pain and inflammation depending on the patient’s condition. The goal of these approaches is to minimize pain, extend the range of motion, increase the strength of bones and muscles and enhance functionalities.

• Exercise-As a main tool of rehabilitation, exercise improves body strength and mobility. Exercise essentially functions as a feedback loop. We make movements during exercises according to instructions from the brain. When this movement is done, it provides positive reinforcement to the brain that nil pain is experienced. That, in turn, helps you to expand your mobility and strength while simultaneously training the central nervous system that such movements are safe. Exercise also improves balance, coordination, posture and endurance.
• Ultrasound-This is a deep heating modality that is applied to the skin. Ultrasound therapy is beneficial in treating fractures and blood clots due to injury. Usually, a hand-held transducer is deployed for this purpose and is moved over the injured area. The transducer produces high pitched sound waves that heat the tendons, muscles and tissues. As a result, there is an improvement in the blood flow thereby enhancing the circulation and expediting the healing process.
• Electrical Stimulation-Here, electrodes are inserted to the patient skin and electric impulses are used to provide pain relief, functional improvements and even treat neurological disorders. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is a form of this approach that is used to manage acute and chronic pain by sending non-painful stimuli to the injured parts and nervous system.
• Massage-Some physical therapists use the massaging technique to decrease joint inflammation and muscular rigidity. It improves blood circulation and reduces stiffness.
• Dry Needling-As one of the latest forms of rehabilitation, dry needling is used by therapists to lessen the painful muscular knots and trigger points. Small needles are pierced into the muscle tissue and knotty areas to provide pain relief.
• Heat Therapy-Dry heat is known to be a good soother for sub-acute and chronic injuries and muscle soars. The applied heat affects merely the skin, fat layer and superficial tissues and has localized effects to reduce pain, enhance mobility and temporarily ease movements. Damp heat packs may also be useful as they penetrate deeper and faster into the injured areas and promote functional improvements.
• Ice Packs-Ice packs decreases inflammation and passage of blood to temporarily prevent swelling of injured muscles and joints. It is widely used to reduce inflammatory response after therapeutic exercise.
• Patient Education-Latest research reveals that teaching patients about the pain experienced and its associated causes can create better awareness and provide a positive impact on the rehabilitation. It eliminates the fear of the unknown in human minds. The therapists provide a detailed explanation about the pain effects, alleviation and management.
• Light Treatment-Lasers or light-emitting diodes are used to transmit light to injured tissues. These rays are absorbed to generate cellular energy for the body repair processes. This therapy is beneficial in wound healing and treating low back pain.