Pain Management

Pain Education Toolkit

Take control and feel better with the Pain Education Toolkit. The Self-Management Toolkit is a simple guide that gives you some handy tips and skills to help you understand and manage your long-term health condition better. The goal of these tools is to provide updated information on the physiological, psychological and social nature of pain and the key role of self-care. The Toolkit contains 8 modules: understanding pain, sleep, nutrition, activity, mood, social support, flare-up management, and medications. Each module includes a handout that can be downloaded and printed and a short video guide which also contains patient interviews with people who have lived experience of persistent pain . Visit the Pain Education Toolkit Website Return to Home Page

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Rehabbing Fozen Shoulder

Frozen shoulder (or adhesive capsulitis) is a condition where the shoulder is stiff, painful, and has limited movement in all directions. Exercises are usually the cornerstone of treatment. Physical therapists can help people control pain and stiffness, and restore movement in a safe way. It’s helpful to warm up the shoulder before performing exercises. A hot shower or bath or heating pad is good. Then we use exercises to help with movement and strength. Your therapist might focus on stretches for the chest muscles and the back of the shoulder, external rotation stretches, and strengthening exercises are added to maintain muscle strength. Isometrics are exercises that require no joint movement and can be done without worrying about increasing pain in the shoulder. Pictured is a patient performing a forward flexion isometric strengthening exercise. 1. Stand facing a wall.2. Bend the elbow on the side of the shoulder you want to exercise and make a fist.3. Place a folded towel between your fist and the wall, and gently press your hand into the wall.4. Hold for five seconds, and then slowly release. A Physical Therapist will help you to align your posture during this exercise in the most effective way for rehabbing your shoulder. References for additional reading: https://www.health.harvard.edu/…/stretching-exercises… https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5917053/ https://www.choosept.com/…/physical-therapy-guide-to… Return to Home Page

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Yoga pose

Yoga for Chronic Pain

Do you suffer from chronic pain? Join Adriene for this 25 min yoga practice for chronic pain that you can do on a mat or seated in a chair.  Chronic pain can play a large role in the mind-body relationship. Regular at-home yoga is a great tool to help with the daily functions of those suffering from chronic pain. This gentle yoga practice helps you to explore these tools of yoga and how they can support you on your journey toward healing and feeling better. Cultivate more harmony with the breath & body.  Find What Feels Good. Optional Props:BlanketChair https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFaXfQpxnps&t=2s Return to Home Page

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Easing Back Pain

Core strengthening exercises can be a helpful treatment option for many types of back problems as it helps to restore balance in the muscles around the spine. Focus is placed on strengthening the abdominal muscles to be able to give stabilization to the spine. Rehab programs or preventative rehab programs that focus on strengthening lumbar muscles combined with core stability can reduce low back pain if exercises are done correctly and regularly. Exercises that strengthen your core muscles, including your abdominal muscles, back muscles and the muscles around the pelvis can be done with a fitness ball. Here we see Ellen Maloney, DPT walking her patient through some of the beginner level core exercises on the physio ball. Return to Home Page

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Easing Shoulder Pain

Here Ellen Maloney, DPT is helping her patient to learn a more advanced scapular stabilization exercise. The scapula is the base of support to the shoulder joint and all movements of the arm. Poor scapular stabilization can contribute to a variety of problems such as:shoulder impingement, shoulder instability, neck strain, nerve entrapment, and muscle strains. If you injure your shoulder, you could notice that it’s difficult to properly use your arm, and you may start using your shoulder blade to help move your arm. This can cause bad habits that can continue to limit the use of your arm. A physical therapist can provide scapular stabilization exercises to help you regain normal control and use of your shoulder. For more information on clinical research around the effectiveness of scapular stabilization exercise click here: The effectiveness of scapular stabilization exercise in the patients with subacromial impingement syndrome.   Return to Home Page

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