There are many causes of pain in the body and this can be quite debilitating as this restricts movement and subsequently function. When pain is chronic, there is limitation of daily activities at home, work and leisure tasks.
Commonly, pain can be soft tissue, muscular, nerve related or boney. Based on the medical cause, occupational therapy can assist to reduce pain with lifestyle modifications, adaptations to the environment and use of assistive devices. Furthermore, occupational therapy has at its disposal many modalities to help reduce pain. This includes soft tissue therapy, use of rigid thermoplastic and/ or soft splints, stretch and strengthening muscle exercises and desensitization techniques.
The occupational therapist is particularly trained to help people cope with pain by improving their ergonomics when executing their daily activities, especially when pain is chronic in nature. A close relationship with the multidisciplinary team is also undertaken for chronic pain management.