If you suffer from chronic pain, and you want to limit the amount of prescription pain medication you take on a daily basis, it's time to talk to your doctor about physical therapy. You might not realize this, but physical therapy is an excellent way to alleviate the distress caused by chronic pain. Best of all, physical therapy can reduce your need for prescription pain medication. If you're like many people, you think that physical therapy is only beneficial for injury recovery, but that's not the case. Read the list provided below. You'll find four treatment options that physical therapists can use to alleviate chronic pain. 

Focused Exercise

If you're dealing with chronic pain, physical exertion increases the discomfort, you might shy away from exercise. If that's the case, it's time to talk to a physical therapist. You might think that all types of exercise will increase the severity of your chronic pain, but that's not the case. In fact, focused exercise can actually reduce the amount of pain you experience on a daily basis, which is where physical therapy comes into the picture. Your physical therapist will use exercise to focus on the areas that cause you pain. 

Massage Therapy

If you thought massage therapy was only for relaxation, you were mistaken. You might not realize this, but massage therapy is also beneficial for alleviating the discomfort associated with chronic pain. One of the benefits of seeing a physical therapist is that they can use massage therapy to provide you with the pain relief you need to get back into your life. Massage therapy can also increase blood flow to the affected area, and relieve tight muscles. 

Nerve Stimulation

If you've been diagnosed with chronic pain, your nerves might be sending the wrong messages. When you experience pain, your body transmits messages to your brain. Once those signals are sent, the pain can become even more intense. One way to relieve the pain is to reduce the pain signals that are being sent. That's where nerve stimulation comes into the picture. Transcutaneous Nerve Stimulation, or TENS, helps to reduce the pain signals that are sent to the brain, which alleviates the discomfort you experience. To alleviate chronic pain, talk to your physical therapist about the benefits of TENS. 

Loosen Trigger Points

Finally, if chronic pain prevents you from participating in daily activities, it's time to seek help through physical therapy. Chronic pain can create trigger points throughout your body, especially where muscle pain is concerned. Your physical therapist can use a method known as dry needling to loosen those trigger points, which will alleviate the pain you experience. To learn more information about physical therapy, reach out to a company such as Dr. Carr Integrative Physical Therapy.