✓ Written & medically reviewed by Dr. Molly McDonald, PT, DPT, LMT · Updated December 2, 2023

Most people that come to see me are looking for answers about a pain that is stopping them from their favorite activities.  Many people are putting off seeing a Physical Therapist or another medical professional because they are afraid of being told they will need a surgery, or they will simply be given medication then dismissed, or they will be told the pain is just from being old and nothing can resolve the discomfort.

My goal with this video is talk about what pain is, how to feel comfortable moving a painful body part, some home remedies, and when to come and see a PT.

• Pain in very simple terms is an alarm system in you body.This should not sound as scary as it does because we have alarms all around us. I have an alarm that wakes me up, I have an alarm in my car that lets me know that I’ve left my door open. So not all alarms mean your house is on fire or that you have a gas leak. Unfortunately, in your body it takes a little time and experience to know the difference in the alarm system in your body.

• 2. How do you decide if you have a fire alarm or a door alarm going off?  That is actually a little complicated. If you have a sudden injury you lifted something and now your shoulder is hurting. Wait for the initial shock to calm down then see if you can still move your arm without increasing your pain. If you can then I would try to ice rest for a day to see if the pain calms down. The biggest thing is move your shoulder as normally as you can as long as you are not increasing the pain or discomfort. If the you can not move your shoulder or your pain dramatically increase with an movement, any position or wakes you up at night the that is a fire alarm. You should see a Physical Therapist as soon as possible to get a physical exam of this injury.

• Home remedies. With any injury fire or door alarm. Ice the body part for 10 minutes as frequently as it helps. You can ice every hour for 10 minutes if you want. If you want to try heat then the same time rules would apply 10 minutes every hour. The way you know that one is working is when you have relief that last longer than the time its on your skin. So if the heat or ice does not reduce your pain or discomfort after you take it away then helping you with you pain management. Move your body as normally as possible. If you have hurt shoulder try not change how you walk or adjust your posture.

• When should you see a PT? If you can not move an injured body part without increasing your pain with every move come to see a PT. If your pain is disrupting your sleep then you should see a medical professional to find out more about the injury. But what about those door alarms? If you have pain that persists longer than a week or two then you should have someone look at the injury. If for nothing else the peace of mind that you are heading down the right path. Then when you see a PT there is a good chance you will educated on the exact cause of the pain and limitation and walk away with and plan of act to resolve the issue more quickly then simply letting it rest.

These are very general suggestions. You should alway follow your instincts with any health concern so if you think you should see a medical person immediately then you should.

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