Pain and Manual Therapies

Another good reading on sight. This time discussing about the effect of Manual Therapy to manage and improve pain. As always, the link to the article first for those who want to go in depth:

https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/josptopen.2023.0002

When discussing pain, and according to the International Association for the Study of Pain, there are three major mechanism-based categories:

- Nociceptive pain is the one originated from real or potential damage to a structure, for example, a ligament injury which are activating the nociceptors (the part of the nerve ending detecting pain).

- Nociplastic pain is originated on the nociceptors, but there is no real or potential damage to anatomical structures.

- Neuropathic pain is the one arising from a lesion or disease of the nervous system, that means it is affecting directly the structure that is supposed to regulate pain.

In this study different frameworks are presented to health care professionals with aspects to consider regarding the different kinds of pain and consensus is achieved about his management, based on the current available research.

There is always a common constant to all frameworks and this is the holistic and individualized approach. Including manual therapy as part of integrated treatment and never standing alone as single intervention.

This pattern repeats regularly, any patient treatment shoulder be a combination of different interventions to achieve the best possible output.