Physical Therapy Modalities and Rehabilitation Techniques in the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain

Abstract

Neuropathic pain is an important problem because of its complex natural history, unclear etiology, and poor response to standard physical therapy modalities. It causes severe disability unrelated to its etiology. The primary goal of neuropathic pain management is to investigate the underlying cause, to make the differential diagnosis, to eliminate risk factors, and to reduce pain. The physician should also be aware of functional, and psychological conditions of the patient. Therefore, a multimodal management plan in neuropathic pain is essential. In this article, we aimed to reflect a diverse point of view about various physical therapy modalities and rehabilitation techniques. For this purpose, we searched articles about physical therapy modalities and rehabilitation techniques in PubMED database and presented various studies according to their relevance. New rehabilitation techniques seem promising however there is a requirement for more randomized controlled trials with larger patient groups. In this review, we suggest that physical therapy modalities and rehabilitation techniques are very important options and must be considered with pharmacotherapy.