Did you know that approximately 23 million Americans suffer from chronic pain as a result of heart disease or stroke? 25 million more suffer through excruciating pain daily due to their migraines. Subsequently, more than 36 million Americans miss work annually because their chronic pain makes it just too difficult to get through the day.
When presented with this information, many Americans are left wondering why people with pain issues don’t get it taken care of. The problem is that chronic pain is long lasting and, in many cases, is resistant to traditional medical treatments. This is because chronic pain can be caused by damage to nerve fibers, other damage to the musculoskeletal system, and psychiatric issues. Luckily, however, orthopedic physicians are working to implement new techniques to help bring chronic pain sufferers relief.
What is Orthopedic Medicine?
Orthopedic medicine is the branch of medicine focused on solving issues around the musculoskeletal system. Many of the top pain management specialists in the world are orthopedists, specializing in a wide variety of injuries and conditions. Sport orthopedics, for example, focuses on those injuries resulting from accidents and the natural wear and tear associated with different athletic endeavors. On the other hand, many conditions treated by orthopedists are hereditary. Regardless of your condition, orthopedic specialists may have found a new method for your relief in Medical Exercise Therapy, or MET.
What is Medical Exercise Therapy?
According to WebMD, medical exercise therapy, whether it is aquatic or otherwise, is the method of treating a wide variety of medical conditions through physical activity. The regime involved will vary from patient to patient, focused on treating their specific ailment. For instance, “runner’s knee”, a common condition affecting runners, can be rehabbed using medical exercise therapy in an aquatic setting.
One of the biggest benefits of MET is that it is a holistic approach, meaning that it aims to treat all of the root causes, be they mental, emotional, or physical, of the problem. Because practitioners of medical exercise therapy treat the cause instead of the symptoms, they can often find success where other symptom-based approaches have failed.
Is Medical Exercise Therapy for Me?
While medical exercise therapy is shown to be effective in sports injury rehab, mitigating painful migraines, and a host of other issues, the fact remains that its effects, as with any treatment, will vary from case to case. Anyone looking into medical exercise therapy should discuss the costs, implications, and likely outcomes with their doctor before taking any additional steps.
If you are looking for a way to escape the chronic pain that follows you through your life, then medical exercise therapy may be the solution you are looking for. Especially for patients looking for a holistic approach to their problem, MET is a great choice. However, as with anything, be sure to consult your doctor before going forward.