You rested. You took painkillers. You applied the gel. And yet there it is again.
The old familiar pain of the knee during the ascent of the stairs. The sore neck that comes every time you raise your head. The stiffness in the back, which disappears temporarily and reappears with increased intensity at the end of a long day.
Chronic pain is aggravating, baffling, and usually distressing. This is a question that becomes very common among many people: why does this pain keep recurring despite treatment?
It is usually not the pain as much as what is going on under that.
The system of alarm in the body is pain. It alerts you that something is wrong–but muting the alarm does not improve the situation.
Some of the common causes that make the pain recur include:
- Weakness or disequilibrium of muscles.
- Poor posture.
- Lack of recovery following an injury.
- Stiffness or instability of the joints.
Painkillers and taking a rest can help a patient to feel better in the short run, but they do not fix these problems. The pain can recur without the cure of the underlying cause.
Temporary relief- A boon or bane?
The cycle that most individuals enter into is:
Pain-rest-relief- resume activity-pain.
This leads to:
- Reduced strength.
- Decreased flexibility.
- Fear of movement.
- Worsening joint health.
Resting may seem like a safeguard, but in the long-term lack of physical activity may even exacerbate orthopaedic pain.
Why don't the injuries don’t heal on their own
The body can recover after a sprain, a fracture, a surgery, and even repeated strain, although not always in the best way possible.
Due to a lack of rehabilitation:
- Muscles may remain weak.
- Joints may lose stability.
What happens is that the pattern change of movement can be subconscious, and compensation may be achieved by the surrounding areas overworking. Such changes put more strain on tissues and hence lead to higher chances of recurrence of pain.
Understanding orthopaedic rehabilitation
Orthopaedic rehabilitation is aimed at recovering movement, strength, stability, and functioning in case of injury, surgery, or chronic pain conditions.
It does more than just relieve the symptoms to treat:
- How you move.
- The coordination of your muscles.
- The load absorption and distribution within the joints.
- The recurrence of pain.
The breaking of the pain cycle with ortho rehab
1-Identifying the Root Cause
An ortho rehab begins with an examination of:
- Posture analysis.
- Gait assessment.
- Muscle strength and muscle flexibility.
- Congruence and muscle stability.
The pain is often misplaced. A weak hip may cause knee pain, or a sore neck can be caused by a stiff upper back. It is the rehab that brings these latent links out.
2- Preventing muscle imbalances
In case some muscles are weak and some are overloaded, there is unnecessary stress in the joints.
Rehabilitation programs:
- Make underperforming muscles stronger.
- Relax overworked muscles.
- Reestablish balance around joints.
Strong muscles imply improved support and reduced recurring pain.
4-Repairing joint mobility and stability
Stiff joints don’t move well, while unstable joints move excessively. Both can cause pain.
Ortho rehab uses:
- Manual therapy.
- Mobility exercises under control.
- Control training-stability training.
This aids in the safe and efficient movement of joints.
5-Restructuring healthy movement
Poor movement habits after an injury, which include sitting, walking, lifting, and reaching, are developed unconsciously by many people.
Rehab trains in:
- Posture.
- Lifting techniques.
- Daily activity movements.
As the movement is made efficient, the stress-provoking pain fades automatically.
Why does pain keep coming back?
Every day life may be the source of impending pain due to:
- Long hours of sitting.
- The poor ergonomics of workstations.
- Repetitive tasks.
- Improper footwear.
Orthopaedic rehabilitation imparts real-life coping mechanisms to cope with these daily stressors to avoid issues that cause pain.
Ortho Rehab for chronic conditions
Rehab is very useful in conditions such as osteoarthritis, disc problems, tendonitis, and post-surgical stiffness. Although these conditions are not necessarily quick-fix conditions, rehabilitation can be structured to prevent:
- Slow degeneration.
- Inflammation.
- Decreased joint function.
- Surgery.
The pain may not go away in one day, but it becomes tolerable and less disturbing. Among the largest causes of pain relapse is the premature discontinuation of rehabilitation.
The initial gain is usually the decrease in pain, but strength, stability, and endurance require more time. The entire rehabilitation program is completed to achieve permanent outcomes.
Moreover, pain does not only limit itself to the body: it also limits confidence, and most individuals start getting scared of moving around. Ortho rehab is a way of restoring faith in the body and demonstrates to the patients that movement can be safe, strength can return, and suffering does not necessarily dictate everyday existence.
We are India’s first comprehensive continuum care provider. We provide multidisciplinary out of hospital care to acute and post-acute and chronically ill patients at our critical care facilities and your home.