Physiotherapy is one of the most effective rehabilitation treatments available today. Exercises have long been used in physiotherapy to manage pain. 

It wasn’t until the 19th century that physiotherapy advanced a step further, thanks to the Swedish movement. It was ironically explored and introduced by a famous Swedish poet and led to the creation of the Swedish massage, which has remained popular to this day.

Techniques used for pain management in physiotherapy have evolved over the years. The evolution of which may be seen in the advent of a wide range of pain treatment options including: 

• Therapeutic lasers- One of the most effective pain management modalities, the lasers are used to obliterate tissues, and relieve pain and inflammation.

There are also a variety of electrotherapy pain management techniques available.

• Therapeutic Ultrasound- Therapeutic ultrasound was one of the first roles of physiotherapy in efficient pain management. Ultrasonic waves are used to target the tissues and relieve pain from the affected areas. 
• Interferential Therapy- Also abbreviated as ‘IFT’ is a method used for pain management through dual electric current stimulation to damaged tissues. A highly effective modality predominantly used to alleviate pain from post-traumatic surgeries, amongst other health benefits.
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation- Also abbreviated as ‘TENS’, is a modality of physiotherapy, where electrical waves are used to accentuate the pain management process, by placing electrodes of a small battery-run machine, on the nerves. This method targets the areas of pain and has shown positive results for inflammation of tendons, back pain, arthritis and even artery disease. 
• Cryo Compression- A modality of pain management that has shown tremendous results in alleviating pain and swelling. It is a highly recommended and prescribed modality of physiotherapy, for pain management in athletes. A fundamental difference between Cryo compression therapy and ice therapy is that liquid nitrogen is used in Cryo compression, which has resulted in a reduction of hours of treatment while achieving the desired result.

Most alternative therapies are age-old therapies that have evolved, while keeping the fundamentals in place, into a much more nuanced and preferred form of pain management today. Some of the most effective and prescribed forms of alternative therapies are: 

• Dry Needling- It Is a therapeutic method of pain relief and pain management, where needles are used to trigger the precise point of pain, which then develops lesions, which replace the affected tissues with new tissues. Evidently, as is suggestive of the name, is a dry method of treatment, sans any fluids induced into the body. 
• Acupuncture- Acupuncture is one of the most ancient forms of pain management and is still prevalent in its role as a pain management therapy. It focuses on and around the pain-affected trigger points, through needle induced therapy. 
• Cupping- While the fundamentals of cupping are derived from the ancient  ‘Qi’ method, similar to acupuncture, the application of cupping is distinctive. Cupping uses warm cups, which are placed on target areas, for pain management. The process uses hot cups, usually glass, which creates a vacuum on the target areas, which creates suction of the skin and faster blood flow. 
• Chiropractic- Chiropractic treatment is manually administered by a licensed chiropractor, which aims at alleviating spinal related pain. Chiropractic treatment derives its fundamentals from scientific methods of treatment, yet it is contrasting with established medical science. Regardless of its derivations, chiropractic treatment, or chiropractors have played a vital role in physiotherapy as an alternative method of pain management.

Physiotherapy caters to different types of pain, the increasing demand for which, has been met with pain management programmes, which are comprehensively designed to lay emphasis on each of these types of pain- They might be chronic, temporary, psychosocial, visceral, somatic or nociceptive. 

The role of physiotherapy in pain management has laid impetus to the recovery process by mitigating pain and reducing time spent in convalescence, through its wide range of state of the art products and services.

At Wellknox, we use state-of-the-art Robotic Rehabilitation equipment to provide effective interventions targeted to your specific condition. Personalized treatment plans are suggested and provided by our medical care professionals based on the patient’s needs.

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