How Assistive Devices Help Chronic Pain Management

October 29, 2018admin Scarborough Clinic Blog

Individuals who experience pain that lasts over an extended amount of time, if not indefinitely, are acutely aware of the struggles that come with chronic pain. This is a type of pain that can be a debilitating condition that impacts you or a loved one’s daily life.

In some cases, assistive devices, such as knee braces, back braces, or orthotics, can be a great option to help manage your chronic pain. Assistive devices cover a wide range of conditions, with over one billion people in need of aid from an assistive devices today.

Canadians are no exception to that need, with Statistics Canada reporting that 16% of Canadians 18 to 64, and 27% of seniors, suffer from various degrees of chronic pain.

Sufferers of chronic pain have many treatment options, including assistive devices. By adding the aid of a brace such as a back brace that can help with posture, you can begin down the road to recovery.

While assistive devices cover a large variety of devices like wheel walkers and hearing aids that can aid with chronic pain, this blog will be focusing on body braces such as ankle, knee, and back braces, as well as orthotic devices.

Assistive Devices and Chronic Pain

Assistive devices can be a vital tool in creating long-term stability for those with chronic pain throughout their body. Because there is no one concrete threshold that defines what chronic pain is, this means that what you may think as just an everyday ache that has always been there, could be considered chronic pain.

For many, dealing with chronic pain means turning to opiods. However, there are non-drug related ways to manage chronic pain, and those should always be considered first.

For example, if you suffer from constant ankle strain that has resulted in everyday discomfort that has affected your mobility, an ankle brace can go along way to providing that relief.

Consider assistive devices for areas experiencing persistent pain such as your:

Back
Legs
Arms

You Don’t Need to Suffer From Your Chronic Pain

Learn More About Chronic Pain Management

Provides Support and Stability with Immobilisation

Providing support and stability for an injured area that you are experiencing chronic pain may seem obvious, but it is an important step to providing that relief.

Braces stabilize the affected area by preventing the affected muscle, limb, or join from moving or bearing any weight that could interrupt the healing process or even cause more injury.

For example, if you have been experiencing chronic back pain due to posture, a back brace that immobilizes any harmful movement begins the process to developing healthier posture habits. This can be an important early step in the path to pain relief.

Provides Necessary Compression

The basic forms of compression are known to the majority of us, even if we don’t actively think of it as compression. Forms of compression, such as applying ice to an injury, are designed to reduce internal bleeding and swelling.

Medical equipment that provides the necessary compression aims to reduce the internal bleeding of any soft tissue surrounding an injury that is causing chronic pain. This can come in the form of compression stockings, shorts, or ankle and wrist supports.

For example, if you are experiencing chronic pain in your ankle due to constant swelling when you are standing on your feet for too long, compression ankle supports can help reduce swelling, therefore reducing pain.

Prevents Future Injury

Ultimately, assistive devices can aid in chronic pain management by preventing any future stress on a point of injury on top of what the sufferer already experiences.

To continue with the recent ankle example; perhaps an old ankle injury has affected your gait which in turn has then begun to affect your spine, causing you to experience chronic back problems.

You may be unaware that the problem stems from your ankle, and by adding a tool such as a compression sock, that could in turn begin to affect your back as well.

Assistive Devices as Part of Your Chronic Pain Management Plan

Because chronic pain covers such a wide array of conditions, it can be difficult to discern the correct treatment plan without trial and error. A chronic pain management plan is essentially a tailored strategy designed specifically for the sufferer to overcome and manage persistent pain.

For example, if you or a loved one suffers from chronic back pain, a treatment plan may combine multiple strategies in order to achieve the greatest outcome. This could include an assistive device like a back brace, as well as other common treatments such as physiotherapy, massage therapy, and chiropractic care.

Learn More About Assistive Devices and Chronic Pain

You Need A Trained Healthcare Professional

To best soothe your chronic pain with the aid of assistive devices, it is highly suggested that you seek the professional help of a trained healthcare expert.

Healthmax Physiotherapy Clinics offer extensive chronic pain management services for those in need throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Our friendly team of therapeutic experts works together to offer patients comprehensive treatment for chronic pain that takes assistive devices into account.

Book an appointment online today to get started with one of our specialists at a location convenient to you, and begin your journey to chronic pain relief.