Pain Diagnoses on the Rise in Children and Teens
WEST CHESTER, Pa., April 3, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Over the years, healthcare providers have been puzzled, frustrated, and yet intrigued by a condition in which patients seem to suffer a relatively minor illness or injury, and yet their bodies respond by shutting down in pain, discomfort and loss of function. It is unknown why some children have this hyperactive pain reflex arc, but it makes performing even the simplest of tasks impossible without experiencing pain. Researchers have learned much in the past 10 years as more and more children are receiving the Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome, or AMPS, diagnosis.
AMPS is made up of several different types of amplified pain disorders, including fibromyalgia and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). The increase in diagnoses has created a need for therapists trained in treating this difficult syndrome. AMPS patients respond well to frequent, functional treatment, and the therapists at Theraplay, Inc. utilize specific protocols that allow them to efficiently and successfully treat sufferers of AMPS.
The degree of pain that children with AMPS experience is more intense than it should be based on an injury. It is the therapist’s job to teach patients how to break this pain cycle. Heather is the mother of a child who was thrown into the world of pain disorders. “After sustaining a minor injury my daughter developed CRPS, a type of AMPS. With the help of physical and occupational therapy she regained the ability to walk and learned what to do if her symptoms return,” she says. Research has shown that early referral to rehabilitation is key and can decrease suffering and help restore a patient’s function, breaking the cycle of pain suffered by so many.
About Theraplay, Inc.
Theraplay was founded in 1991 by physical therapist Lisa Mackell. Believing that children learn and develop best through play experiences, Theraplay provides their individualized therapy services in a play-focused environment. Their occupational, physical, and speech therapy services, along with feeding and concussion rehabilitation programs, early intervention and school services have helped improve the lives of thousands of children and their families. Theraplay added Austill’s Educational Therapy Services, in Chester County, PA, to their family of companies in 2016. In 2017, brought Positive Steps Therapy and AOT, Inc., based in western Pennsylvania, and the Children’s Therapy Center, located in Virginia, into the family. Theraplay is looking forward to continuing to grow their geographic reach, furthering their mission to maximize each child’s
potential through functional play-based therapies. For more information please visit theraplayinc.com.
Source: Theraplay, Inc.
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