Why Google MD Falls short in Pain Relief
Human nature will be ever present in today's modern society when we are concerned about something medical. We utilize what we have readily available at our finger tips when feeling or experiencing a new injury; a new ache or pain. That human nature is to research said ache or pain on the internet. We all do it, and that’s normal! Where ‘google MD’ tends to fall short though, is where this blog post picks up!
The internet has copious amounts of information. Sometimes it almost seems like too much. How do we sift through all of this stuff when trying to learn more about my new knee pain, or my low back pain that isn’t going away after doing yard work or working out in the gym? The internet often does a good job of presenting this information in totality, but what should you actually focus on versus ‘skim’?
Where we practitioners do believe the internet can be helpful is providing the umbrella statements. These do have the potential to be helpful. Rest and provide compression to a sprained ankle might have value in the acute stage, or limiting painful/provoking movements to avoid continued increase in pain has merit. What it cannot provide you is the important information between the read lines. Rarely, if ever, is the correct answer rest in absence of true tissue pathology. We have been told all too often to R.I.C.E. An injury after it happens (more on that in our previous blog post here), which may actually be doing more harm than good. PEACE and LOVE is the new acronym to follow, and this is what the internet cannot help us with.
Researching what may be going on is one thing. How to appropriately get better is a completely different subject. This is where we take pride in our physical therapy clinic to best be able to not only answer your questions, but provide you the information between the lines to get you better, faster! How long to rest (if any), how to modify your workouts or routine to best return safely, appropriate amounts of anti-inflammatories, and other healing practices are our specialty! Let us do the hard work for you so you can have your mind cleared as you travel through the recovery journey. That is why we love to help people in physical therapy. To get pain questions answered, and provide the ‘HOW’ in getting you back to where you want to be in moving pain and limitation free once again.
Looking for assistance in getting your questions answered and needing direction on next steps in appropriately healing? Let’s chat! We would be happy to discuss further how Loon State Physical Therapy can be a teammate in getting you back to moving and feeling your best! Our convenient Minneapolis physical therapy, Edina physical therapy, and Stillwater physical therapy locations will happily welcome you to get you back to moving at your best. Call us at (612) 405-8503 or book with us online at www.loonstatephysicaltherapy.com for an in-person or virtual appointment.
We look forward to being your teammate through this journey!
Andrew Eccles
Owner and Physical Therapist at Loon State Physical Therapy
