Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is pain that has gone on for about three months or longer, often well after the original injury has settled. Physical therapy gives you a non-drug, non-surgical way to manage it, built on movement, hands-on care and learning what keeps your pain going. We treat chronic pain in Chubbuck and Pocatello, Idaho, and Jared Pugmire, PT, DPT, FAAOMPT, Dip Osteopractic, Cert. SMT/DN/VCS leads the plan.
When pain stops being a warning and becomes the problem
Pain is useful when it tells you to protect an injured joint or muscle. With persistent pain, it outlives that job. Acute pain comes from something that can fully heal, and it fades when the tissue does. Long-term pain can carry on after that point, or come from a condition that has no clear end.
One reason is central sensitization, where the nervous system turns up its alarm and starts reacting to movements that used to be harmless. The pain is real, not imagined. Understanding it is part of the treatment, because fear of moving tends to keep pain going.
Where chronic pain often comes from
Some people have a clear cause. Others have pain with no clear cause at all.
Irritated soft tissue
Everyday tasks can cause tiny tears in muscles and tendons, and scar tissue called adhesions can keep an area stiff and sore.
Muscle spasms
Muscles under abnormal stress can spasm again and again. Spasms in the neck can feed chronic headaches.
Pinched nerves
A pinched nerve can hurt at the spot or further along its path. Carpal tunnel syndrome is one example.
Joint problems
Arthritis can cause pain and limit movement. See Arthritis & Joint Pain for more.
Spine conditions
Bulging discs, herniated discs and spinal stenosis can cause long-term back or neck pain. Read Back Pain and Neck Pain.
Whole-body pain syndromes
Fibromyalgia can create tender knots that refer pain across the body. It has its own page: Fibromyalgia.
Why movement helps more than rest
Rest can feel like the safe choice, but long stretches of it usually leave muscles weaker and joints stiffer, and that tends to make pain worse. Gentle, steady movement in a range you can handle helps your body and your nervous system trust that movement is safe again.
That is why we measure progress by what you can do first and by your pain level second. Walking farther, sleeping better and getting back to work or the trails around Chubbuck and Pocatello, Idaho are the goals that count.
How we treat long-term pain without drugs
Painkillers such as opioids carry risks of overdose, addiction and interactions with other medicines, so many people look for pain management without opioids. This is what your plan may include.
- Explaining in plain language why your pain continues, so it feels less like a mystery
- Therapeutic exercise: range-of-motion work to keep joints and stiff muscles mobile, then strengthening so your body supports itself with less pain
- Gradual increases in activity, paced so a good day does not cost you a bad week
- Manual therapy and trigger point therapy for tight, painful muscles
- Dry needling for stubborn muscle tension
- Deep tissue laser therapy, a non-invasive way to help reduce chronic musculoskeletal pain
- Heat, ice and lifestyle changes that take strain off muscles and joints, plus anti-inflammatory food choices
Working alongside your doctor or pain specialist
Physical therapy is one part of your care. If you see a doctor or pain specialist, we are glad to work alongside them, and please do not change or stop a medicine without talking to them first. Pain in one body area has its own page, such as Pelvic Pain, and we point you there if it fits better.
Idaho allows direct access to physical therapy, so you do not need a referral from a doctor to begin. Some insurance plans, and Medicare typically, may still require one. If you are unsure, call us and we will check your plan.
Questions about chronic pain care
Is physical therapy the same as non-surgical pain relief?
It is one form of it. Physical therapy aims to reduce pain and improve how you move without surgery or medication, and it can sit beside other care you already have.
Will my pain go away completely?
We cannot promise that. Many people find their pain easier to manage and their days easier to live, and your therapist checks your progress and adjusts the plan as you go.
Is chronic pain treatment covered?
We accept most insurance plans and verify your benefits before you arrive. Auto injury liens, Medpay and workers compensation are accepted, and there is a self-pay option. Call the office to confirm your plan.
Chronic pain care in Chubbuck, Idaho
Call or request an appointment at our Chubbuck clinic. We see patients from Chubbuck, Pocatello and the surrounding area.
If you live with pain that won't go away, call us and tell us what you have already tried.
We see patients at our Chubbuck clinic from Chubbuck and Pocatello, Idaho.