Education about Injury

 

Understanding about pain and injury can influence how much pain is felt and how willing a person is to move.  It also affects their participation and return to an active lifestyle.  The extent of tissue damage is not the only factor in determining how much pain exists.

 

Some patients will continue activity despite pain and may reinjure or experience ongoing pain.  Others are frightened to do any movement once they have pain and feel frustrated and frightened, as whatever they do results in pain.   A musculoskeletal therapist is trained to seek out the mechanisms of pain and then guide you safely to return to an active lifestyle.

 

Pain is a complex experience consisting of a combination of biological, psychological and social factors.  An understanding of this complexity is crucial in treating and recovery from injury.  An understanding of these complexities has been shown to reduce pain and help recovery. Treatment should be tailored to the specific needs of the individual taking into account the biological as well as psychosocial factors.  This helps to achieve a speedy and complete recovery.

Once the patient sees that he can manage, self management and return to independent activity is the next step in the recovery process.