Premier Pain Talk- How Physical Therapy Can Help With Chronic Pain, With Dr. Drew Burchett? - EP 6

How Physical Therapy Can Help With Chronic Pain, With Dr. Drew Burchett?

On this episode of Premier Pain Talk, Dr. Danko is talking to a friend, physical therapist, Dr. Drew Burchett. Dr. Burchett is the Director of Physical Therapy at The Therapy & Balance Centers in Delhi, Ohio. They will be discussing the importance of physical therapy for chronic pain. Tune in now.

Episode Highlights:

• Dr. Burchett introduces himself  and talks about his approach to treating chronic pain and how it differs from brand new or acute injury.
• Patients with chronic pain who have been in physical therapy before have a story and they may be concerned that they already tried it  and it made their pain worse or it didn’t work. Dr. Danko and Dr. Burchett discuss the challenges and reasons why the patient should come back to try again.
• How often does the issue with chronic pain for a patient actually stem from a deconditioning or weakness that they may have? How much is it about establishing good habits and targeting those points?
• Dr. Burchett explains the progression from making a positive difference in pain to strengthening and posture and gait issues.
• 80% of people will have low back pain at some point in their life. It is really important to have options for patients. Dr. Danko asks Dr. Burchett to share specific interventions regarding low back pain.
• Trigger point dry needling is extremely effective at relaxing specific muscles in the lumbar spine. Dr. Burchett explains what it is and what the patient experience is like.
• What about aquatic therapy? When is a patient best suited for it? 
• There has to be a continuation of therapy beyond the formal physical therapy sessions. Physical therapists often talk about core stabilization and the importance of tailoring continuing home exercise programs specific to the patient.
• Dr. Burchett is not only an expert physical therapist, he is also a certified IronMan U Coach. He has a strong athletic background. He shares about that journey and what kind of athletes he coaches.
• Dr. Danko asks how Dr. Burchett decides if someone will be a good fit for their type of coaching or if a general coaching model would be better for that individual.
• Good quality nutrients are of high value in all aspects of life whether it is training for athletic events, managing chronic pain, or just staying healthy.
• They discuss different metrics to monitor change and progress along the way.
• What is heart rate variability? The trends of shifts and movements are key to watch for.
• Dr. Danko asks Dr. Burchett to explain how heart rate variability fluctuates and why.
• Dr. Burchett shares a story about a high level runner who had recurring anterior shin pain. He explains how people like her often are doing micro traumas to their bones and the importance of changing running form.
• As we age, we slow down and that is the fact of life but there are ways to improve quality of life through physical therapy interventions and other practices like these discussed today.

 

 

3 Key Points:

1. Acute injuries differ from chronic pain issues. Physical therapy interventions are used to treat both with different approaches. Dr. Burchett explains how they focus away from a pain number and more on the progress of feeling better.
2. There are physical therapists for a wide variety of injuries and conditions. Oftentimes when patients with chronic pain have already been in physical therapy and felt like it didn’t work they are reluctant to return or just do so out of obligations by insurance. Dr. Burchett shares about providing a new perspective for those types of patients.
3. Dr. Burchett saw the need for medical knowledge in triathlon coaching which was the start of the inspiration for starting the business, Performance and Science with a friend of his. They take a different approach by looking at the athlete as a whole person and using scientific data to guide their plans.

Tweetable Quotes:

• “Most of the patients that have chronic pain have been dealing with it for a long time and they may have done physical therapy early on when the issue was new or acute but then often for one reason or another they may get sent back to physical therapy for an ongoing condition that is considered more of a chronic conditio