Treating the symptoms vs Eliminating the root cause, The Painkiller real story.

"According to the latest study, back pain is commonly managed by prescribing medicines such as anti-inflammatory painkillers. The study, involving more than 6,000 people, also found patients taking anti-inflammatory painkillers were 2.5 times more likely to suffer problems such as stomach ulcers and bleeding."

Physical therapy treatment vs Painkiller medication

The Water Tank Problem and Pain

Just imagine a problem, a big water tank which has a hole in it. We try to fill the tank with water,  but the water gets drained away gradually.  Because of the hole, the water will not stay in the tank, instead, it leaks out. 

Here, what could be done? We have to fix the hole or Try to fill the tank with water infinitely. Yeah, we would all agree to take the wise decision of fixing the hole in the tank. Logically treating the root cause of the problem (i.e., fixing the hole in the tank) is the best-suited method. 

But, often in real life we instead of fixing the hole in the tank. we try to fill the tank will it be helpful?

We are talking about Pain here in the context of the water tank problem. Pain is defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage” (Merskey and Boduk, 1994).

Chronic pain affects millions of people around the world (Murray and Lopez 2013) and is often accompanied by dramatic changes in the quality of life that result from insomnia, immunosuppression, eating disorders, problems in cognitive function, maladaptive stress responses, and major depression (Bair et al., 2003, Johannes et al., 2010, Fine 2011, Berryman et al., 2013). 

We all are worried about the outcomes of the pain (otherwise called the symptoms of the actual problem), but are we really concerned about the root cause. Are we really interested to find the root cause and eliminating it ?. Just like the wise decision, we would make, by fixing the hole in the tank.

Comparatively major patients, entirely depend on pain killer medications to treat the pain. Also, with medication, people may be taking medicine aimed at treating a specific type of problem when the cause is located in a different location entirely. The problem with medicine is that it can create a short-term solution to a long-term problem.

Related Informative Video

Painkiller vs Physical Therapy in Tamil | வலி நிவாரிணி மாத்திரைகள் vs இயன்முறை மருத்துவம்

But is it really helpful? Do we have any use in treating the symptoms instead of the root cause? 

We know that painkillers can be crucial in fighting pain day today. Because the painkillers only stop the pain temporarily, they can become a crutch for patients. 

According to the latest study, back pain is commonly managed by prescribing medicines such as anti-inflammatory painkillers. The study, involving more than 6,000 people, also found patients taking anti-inflammatory painkillers were 2.5 times more likely to suffer problems such as stomach ulcers and bleeding.

There is no use in treating the symptoms unless and until the root cause is removed. A physiotherapist looks at the patient as a whole, and not just at the injury site — this allows them to find the root of the problem as opposed to treating the symptoms. A physiotherapist’s goal is to properly diagnose an injury and understand the root cause of the pain. It is important, when recovering from an injury, that the patient learn to improve the overall function of their body in order to promote healing and prevent further injury.

An impending challenge, If you have used painkillers before your physical therapy. There is a chance that you are actually hindering your treatment here. If we don’t know the source of the pain or the correct level of pain during manual therapy or physical therapy exercises, it can back up progress. It’s important to build up pain tolerance and adjust exercises based on pain, which is harder when you are using painkillers to stay comfortable. 

Every patient has a difference in pain tolerance, and every treatment plan is put into place by our physio team based on the type of injury and the severity.  We are more concerned with patient's healthy lifestyles, which would bring real happiness, not just a temporary solution. So let us not treat just the symptoms instead let us treat the cause.

Through this medication-free approach, Swastik Physio care physiotherapists are able to help treat many common long-term injuries. If you are someone who has been dealing with pain for an extended period of time, it is never too late to seek out a physiotherapy treatment to improve your daily life.

By 

Dr.S.Monisha (PT)

Consultant Physiotherapist and Counselling Psychologist,

Managing director, Swastik Physiocare Coimbatore.

For Appointments contact.

Swastik Physiocare

6383491106