The Benefits of Occupational Therapy

By Susan A Moore
Pain is a part of life sometimes, but don't you wish you could deal with it in such a way that it won't just come back again? Occupational therapy can help you with your aches and pains in a way that you may have not thought possible.

There are many ways for the human body to start aching; work, play and life all cause aches and pains throughout the body and though many people can just pop a painkiller and be done with it, some pain is far more chronic and becomes a hindrance to your quality of life. Pain from conditions like carpel tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, headaches and neck pain cannot just be willed away or dealt with through painkillers and this is where you may want to consider the benefits of occupational therapy.

Occupational therapy when done through a good clinic has a number of benefits for you. The most obvious one is pain management. A lot of occupational therapy is a series of massages that relieve tense muscles and help blood circulate freely through your body which eases pain and tension. It's also just relaxing to have a massage, so you attain a state of mind that is more conducive to dealing with pain. Occupational therapy uses a number of hands-on techniques like soft tissue massage and myofascial release to restore muscle movement and give you more pain free freedom to move.

However, there are other benefits to occupational therapy that you may not have considered. For example, many good clinics have wellness centers which teach you how to manage the pain on your own through things like diet, exercise and education into what your particular pain means and how to handle it between therapy sessions. Some occupational therapy clinics will even have other things like Pilates or stretching sessions to give you other chances to work through your chronic pain in a way that is more active. Occupational therapy will also teach you the ins and outs of your specific condition so that you know what to expect, what to avoid doing, and what to do to minimize the damage on yourself so you can go longer between massages and not need so many painkillers. If nothing else, occupational therapists will teach you what you need to do at home to stop chronic pain before it get to be too much to bear and how to deal with it without the use of drugs. After all, it is therapy as well as pain management, so you learn more about yourself and how to work with yourself as well as get pain relief.

Chronic pain is not something that you need to suffer through; there are plenty of ways to help yourself and stay pain free longer without relying on drugs or surgeries. Occupational therapy can help you in dealing with your pain and with what exactly is causing the pain so that you no longer have to live in the dark about your condition and you can deal with it on your terms in the best way possible and of course, offers pain relief in the form of various massages and exercises. No matter what kind of chronic pain you have, nor where it is sourced, you can find help with occupational therapy.