How Physical Therapy Can Help Manage Pain and Reduce Opioid Use


No one wants to live in pain. But no one should put their health at risk in an effort to be pain free. Recently, physical therapist Sarah Wenger teamed with the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and YourUpdateTV, to discuss the dangers of prescription opioid use for most non–cancer-related pain treatment and safer alternatives, including physical therapy, for managing pain.

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/4NmgVA59n0g.

Doctor-prescribed opioids are appropriate in some cases, but they just mask the pain. Opioid risks include depression, overdose, and addiction, plus withdrawal symptoms when stopping use. More than 20% of Americans live with chronic pain. Prescribing rates continue to remain very high in certain areas across the country – in 16% of U.S. counties, enough opioid prescriptions were dispensed for every person to have one.

Physical therapists treat pain through movement, hands-on care, and patient education—and by increasing physical activity you can also reduce your risk of other chronic diseases. Physical therapists treat people of all ages and abilities and empower them to actively take part in their own care. To ensure the best possible care, physical therapists often work with other members of a health care team.

For more information on how to get involved, visit ChoosePT.com.

About Sarah Wenger:

Sarah Wenger, PT, DPT, is an associate clinical professor at Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions. She received her master of physical therapy degree from Arcadia University in 1997 and her doctor of physical therapy degree from Temple University in 2002. She also is a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopaedic physical therapy. She has published and presented on a range of topics related to her areas of expertise in chronic pain, underserved populations, and clinical reasoning, and she provides pro bono services in a community-based clinic. With an interdisciplinary team, Wenger developed a chronic pain clinical reasoning model and psycho-education program called Power Over Pain.

About APTA:

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is an individual membership professional organization representing more than 100,000 member physical therapists (PTs), physical therapist assistants (PTAs), and students of physical therapy.

About YourUpdateTV:

YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content, produced by award-winning video communications firm, D S Simon Media (http://www.dssimon.com). It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology.

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