Is your body telling you something is wrong?

By Dr. Adam Cramer, PT, DPT; MyoFit Clinic

“Pain is the body’s alarm system for telling us something is going wrong,” says Dr. Adam Miller, PT, DPT, a colleague of mine at MyoFit physical therapy clinics.

Listening to that alarm to pinpoint its root cause is at the core of what we do here. Our independently owned clinics follow a model of private physical therapy and state-of-the-art treatments and equipment designed to help people in pain avoid surgery and stop taking pain medications for acute or chronic issues.

Dr. Miller says through assessment and diagnostics, they identify the culprit source of pain and then work to alleviate it.

“Pain can be complex and multifactorial,” he explains. “Sometimes it’s injury-related. Other times the injury heals but residual pain remains because the nerves around the injury have not healed and are still sending pain signals, or the brain is receiving the messages incorrectly, so we need to recalibrate it to calm the nerves.”

There are several paths to lessening pain. One of the most common is Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization, in which the DPT locates the restricted area with an instrument and applies pressure to stimulate a local inflammatory response and speed healing. Massage, dry needling and laser therapies are other modalities we use.

“A common hurdle in our treatment is dealing with fear-avoidance behavior, where people stop making certain movements because they’re afraid of the pain worsening,” he continues. When seeing an orthopedic surgeon first, they will usually prescribe rest and medication when in reality this will make your symptoms worse, further limiting your ability to move. We as doctors of physical therapy teach people how to move safely and prescribe practical exercises and movements while using hands-on treatment techniques to reduce pain.”

He reports that low back pain is the most common issue we treat, and that almost everyone will experience this at some point in their life.

“Especially with so many people spending their days sitting at a computer, a lack of movement can trigger pain,” he says. “We like to say that your best posture is your next posture. It’s not healthy to be static for too long. Ultimately, I hope people realize we have the expertise to make their pain go away, as putting treatment off might cause a domino effect and lead to other complications.”

Founded by licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy Adam M. Cramer, PT, MyoFit Clinics are located in Ashtabula, Chardon and Middlefield. Telehealth e-visits are also available. Visit MyoFitClinic.com to find out more. The Chardon Clinic phone number is 440-286-1007.