How do you know when your injury is serious and requires a visit to a physical therapist? When faced with the onset of any ache or pain, most people take a few days off from the rigorous activity that brought on the injury. Patients are advised to think of the RICE formula that stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation to speed up healing. The injury should be iced for 20 minutes several times a day. Giving yourself a few days off is best before getting back into physical activity to see if your symptoms have gone away, or if they’re still occurring. If the pain continues to come back after you have taken several days off, it is time to see your physical therapist. Rest and ice often quiet the pain, but with more serious injuries, symptoms will repeatedly come back and linger. The underlying condition must be treated to find relief for many injuries.
Traumatic events such as rolling and ankle, breaking a bone, or tearing a muscle are easy to spot and may require immediate attention. Weekend warriors and athletes may be used to everyday aches and pains. It is important to notice when over the counter anti- inflammatory and pain relieving medications are not offering relief, it may be time to get checked out. It is also important to acknowledge the type of pain that you are experiencing. In many cases dull lingering pain may be treated with the RICE formula, where sharp centralized pain could be a result of a serious injury, such as a stress fracture or a severe muscle strain.
Listen to your body, if you feel you have suffered an injury that may need the attention of your physical therapist you need not suffer. Your physical therapist will help you to address the cause of your pain and help you to build the strength needed to prevent re-injury. If you are in pain, or struggling with a chronic injury, it may be time to head to your local physical therapist. Dr. Jeff Sadaya, DPT of Cross Bay Physical Therapy in Howard Beach, NY will thoroughly evaluate your injury and set up a treatment and home exercise program to help alleviate your condition. All patients receive hands-on, one-on-one massage and manual therapy in addition to their conditioning program. To schedule an immediate appointment contact our office at (718) 835-0084.
By Benjamin Bieber