Can physical therapy help a 13-year old with chronic migraine headaches and neck pain? It's one of the few things we haven't tried, but we are wondering if it might be worth a try.
Many studies support the use of a multidisciplinary treatment (MDT) approach. As the name suggests, multiple disciplines are involved -- pain specialists, nurses, physical therapists, psychologists, and pharmacists are only a few who might be part of the team. Physical therapy is geared toward helping patients with chronic pain to do more even if there isn't a reduction in their pain. Increasing physical activities, introducing physical training, and learning how to pace both are key features of the physical therapy program. Sometimes additional modalities such as electrical stimulation, pool-therapy, biofeedback, and relaxation training are part of the physical therapy program. Children and teens are given goals to work on and exercise homework to carry out between sessions. The therapist will also assess your child for something called fear-avoidance behaviors (FABs). FAB refers to how people stop moving in ways that might recreate their pain or possibly cause a reinjury. Identifying FABs early and intervening can help keep them from setting up a vicious pain-avoidance-pain cycle.
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