Traditional Physiotherapy Interventions for Pain Conditions

Welcome to PPA Pain Project. This page is being developed by participants of a project to populate the Pain section of Physiopedia.  The project is supervised and co-ordinated by the The Physiotherapy Pain Association.

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Tips for writing this page:

• What is the current evidence base for the use of the following traditional therapy modalities with patients in pain? :electrotherapy/acupuncture/manipulation/massage/relaxation
• What are the proported theraputic effects?
• Should they, and how can they,  be integrated with pharmacological, sociological and psychological interventions and approaches to managing pain experiences and re-integartion with function?
  
  

Original Editor - Kudzanayi Ronald Muzenda and Jo Etherton

Top Contributors - Kudzanayi Ronald Muzenda, Joanne Garvey, Kim Jackson, Evan Thomas, Jo Etherton, WikiSysop, Simisola Ajeyalemi, Lauren Lopez, Jess Bell, Yigit Unalan, Rachael Lowe and Lucinda hampton

Traditional Physiotherapy Modalities

Electrotherapy

The term electrotherapy and electrophyical agents have been used interchangeably to describe the modalities used in physiotherapy. Some suggest that the term electrotherapy implies modalities that use electric current only in treatment.

The following table categorizes various modalities into three groups, i.e. electrical stimulation agents, thermal agents, and non-thermal agents

Electrical stimulation agents and thermal agents are the most used in physiotherapy pain management. However, non-thermal agents, such as pulsed ultrasound, have been reported as having an analgesic effect.

Eectrical Stimulation

The exact mechanism of electrical stimulation’s beneficial effect remains controversial. Electrical stimulation is said directly block pain signals from reaching the brain so that the patient never experiences them. In addition, electrical stimulation has been shown to promote the release of endorphins which are natural painkillers produced by the body.Pain reduction occurs because the applied electrical fields act to close the body's "pain gate mechanism"TENS ( Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) is the widely used electical modality for chronic pain.

Thermal Agents

When applied in successive fashion, heat and cold are believed to exert a physiological effect on your body's pain gate mechanism, which temporarily alters pain signals traveling to and from your brain. This temporary reduction in pain is a welcome relief for those suffering long-standing complaints of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems.

Non-thermal agents are believed to work by...

Cur

.

Manual Therapy

Mobilization

Manual therapy can be broadly defined as

"...the use of hands in a curative and healing manner or a hands-on technique with therapeutic intent..."

A detailed explaination of Mobilisation and its effect on pain can be read on this Physiopedia page: Maitlands Mobilisations