Los Altos, CA
Happy Physical Therapy Month! No one wants to live in pain. But no one should put their health at risk in an effort to be pain-free.
Since 1999, Americans have increasingly been prescribed opioids—painkillers like Vicodin, OxyContin, Opana, methadone, and combination drugs like Percocet.
In some situations, dosed appropriately, prescription opioids are an appropriate part of medical treatment. However, opioid risks include Depression, overdose, and addiction, plus withdrawal symptoms when stopping use. And people addicted to prescription opioids are 40 times more likely to become addicted to heroin.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging healthcare providers to reduce the use of opioids in favor of safe alternatives like physical therapy.
The month of October is a month where we take time to recognize Physical Therapy for all the good it can do for anyone experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, plus so much more. Until the day we die, our bodies are in motion in some form or another. Training your body on how to move better is the real long-term solution to a pain-free life. After all, it’s why we say, “Move better. Live better.” If you can move and get through the day without pain, then there will be no need for pain meds. You just have to learn how to move throughout the day with no pain and that’s where we can help!
Don’t just mask the pain. Treat it.
Choose physical therapy to manage your pain without the risks and side effects of opioids.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kim Gladfelter, MPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
Women's Health Physical Therapy Specialist at PhysioFit Physical Therapy & Wellness
Kim Gladfelter is a physical therapist, Pilates instructor, educator, author, and co-founder of PhysioFit Physical Therapy & Wellness. She is known as a keen, well-rounded expert of healing through movement and women’s health specialist in the Silicon Valley area.
Kim has helped men and women of all ages to stay active and feel their best. She also writes about managing pain in her health columns, blogs and the local Los Altos Town Crier newspaper as well as reaches out to the local community, support groups, schools, libraries, and sports centers to advise and educate on body awareness and therapeutic exercise.