Americans are a hardworking bunch. The country regularly sees some of the highest annual figures when it comes to working days, creating a productive and active image that carries the world over. This cultural habit, however, can have a downside. The United States is also home to some of the highest rates of chronic pain. Arthritis in the joints, pain in the hips and lower back pain are but a few of the examples brought to the table on a regular basis for many physical therapists and doctors. If you’ve found yourself struggling with aching, soreness or mobility issues that don’t seem to let up…it’s time to be honest with you and your health.

What Constitutes A ‘Chronic’ Issue?

This question trips up a lot of people and for good reason. When you have money to save and work to focus on, the last thing you want to do is waste money unnecessarily. What are normal aches and pains and what is a chronic issue that needs professional attention? A chronic health issue is one that persists for three months or more, by most doctors’ standards, though the severity of the pain also plays a part — in other words, anything that seriously hurts should always be looked at immediately!

What Are Common Pain Issues In America?

Before we dig into Bellevue physical therapy options, let’s continue looking at why America needs to start looking into its pain problem. Every single year over half of American adults will develop a musculoskeletal injury that lasts longer than three months. When it comes to back pain? Up to 30 million Americans will experience lower back pain, specifically, at any given time. Last, but not least, the National Center For Health Statistics has reported over five million sports related injuries occur annually.

Where Do These Problems Come From?

Your hips, knees or shoulders shouldn’t be constantly stiff and causing you irritation. If so, you may have to dig around in your day-to-day lifestyle and look for a source. Lower back pain is very frequent in people who have to stand or lift heavy objects on a regular basis — a common rule of thumb is that you should always lift a heavy object with the weight on your legs rather than your arms. This way you put less strain on your back and avoid creating tiny tears on sensitive muscles.

What About Arthritis?

Perhaps your hips and your knees aren’t the problem. Maybe arthritis is what’s causing you to drop your pen or rub your wrists far more than is healthy. Osteoarthritis (also known as OA or the ‘wear and tear arthritis’) is the most common form of arthritis by a landslide and affects over 30 million American adults at any given point in time. A little aching once in a while is normal, especially after a few hours of activity. When these aches persist and don’t seem to go away no matter how much you relax? Then you need to ask…

Can Physical Therapy Reduce My Pain?

Now for the easiest answer to the easiest question — absolutely. No matter where you live in Washington state, you’ve got options just waiting to give you a little pain relief. Puyallup physical therapy or Lake Sammamish physical therapy will have experienced therapists on hand to give you a check-up and a schedule that suits your busy lifestyle. Knee pain is the second most common form of chronic pain for most adults and hip pain affects over 8% of the American population.

You can be a hard worker and a healthy one. Let a physical therapist give you a boost.