Instead of taking a pain pill or getting an injection for pain, try physical therapy first
By Patricia Nugent
Adam Cramer, PT, DPT, founder of MyoFit physical therapy clinics, is on a mission. He hopes people will come to think of physical therapy as medicine, and stop masking their pain with pills and injections.
“Pain is the body’s natural alarm system…a way of getting your attention,” he explains. “It’s human nature to simply ignore pain and hope it’ll go away, or cover it up by taking more and more pain killers or anti-inflammatories. But those temporary band-aids often backfire. In many cases, popping pills to dull the pain can actually delay the healing process. The goal of physical therapy goes beyond that by finding the root cause of a musculoskeletal injury and addressing it.”
Defining Medicine and Physical Therapy
Merriam-Webster defines medicine as “the science or practice of the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease (in technical use often taken to exclude surgery).”
Physical therapy is defined as “the treatment of disease, injury or deformity by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment and exercise, rather than drugs or surgery.”
Dr. Cramer says patient outcomes would be better if they changed their mindset and thought of PT as the best form of medicine—aimed at addressing their physical limitations due to pain, the right way, the first time.
“Pain meds operate by blocking the chemical messengers inside of the nerve, in essence delaying the body’s natural healing process,” he explains. “Our goal is to restore the body’s natural movement and strength to get it back to where it was before injury and prevent injury from happening again.”
Getting help sooner rather than later is best for any injury. Luckily, since the laws in Ohio allow direct access to physical therapy, you don’t have to go through a physician or surgeon first. Just call MyoFit for your appointment. Says Dr. Cramer, “It’s easier and more affordable to eliminate the middleman and start therapy as soon as possible.”
When Pain Keeps you from Work, Life
Dr. Cramer recently saw a gentleman to treat his lateral epicondylitis, or “tennis elbow.”
“At only 38 years old, he was already suffering from debilitating pain that was keeping him from his job as a drywaller,” he says. “Is is an ailment often caused by overuse. He had already seen a surgeon, was only offered an injection—it did not work. He said it felt like his elbow was on fire. We were able to treat it conservatively and teach him exercises and release trigger points with dry needling and manual therapy. He was able to go back to work without pain. Our train of thought is to teach people how to maintain the routines and rhythms of their lives from a functional standpoint. Ultimately treating and managing their symptoms independently which is accomplished through education and training during treatment.”
New Preventive Maintenance Checkups
Perfect for those who want to prevent injury and achieve optimum health, MyoFit has offers Preventive Maintenance Checkups.
During a checkup they will weigh you, estimate your BMI (body mass index), take your blood pressure, administer a stress test to check your cardio health, and perform a strength, range of motion and balance assessment.
They’ll pinpoint where strengths and weaknesses occur in your body and come up with a wellness plan that includes steps to improve your movement, overall wellness and reduce your injury risk.
Founded by Adam M. Cramer, PT, DPT, MyoFit Clinics are located in Ashtabula, Chardon and Middlefield. The clinics have installed medical-grade air purifiers to filter the air down to .1 microns, all staff members wear masks, and the number of patients allowed in the clinics is limited to promote safe social distancing. Physical therapy and preventive checkups are covered by most insurances. Telehealth e-visits are also available. Visit MyoFitClinic.com to find out more. The Chardon Clinic phone number is 440-286-1007.