Pain Relief with
Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy in Minnesota
What is Physical Therapy?
In Minnesota, physical therapy offers a drug- free approach to improving mobility, reducing pain, and supporting recovery.
Physical therapy, sometimes called physiotherapy, is a healthcare practice that uses movement, hands-on care, and therapeutic touch to help restore comfort and mobility.
Physical therapists create individualized plans that may include guided exercises, targeted stretching, hands-on therapies, and techniques such as heat, ice, ultrasound, or gentle electrical stimulation.
The goals of physical therapy are to ease pain, improve strength and flexibility, and empower people to participate more fully in daily life, based on their own values and health goals.
From post-surgical recovery to chronic pain management, physical therapy can offer a drug- free way to support movement and function and may reduce reliance on pain medications.
How Physical Therapy
Can Help with Pain
The first physician therapy visit often begins with a conversation—understanding the patient's story, followed by a movement assessment, pain-level check, and collaborative goal setting.
From there, the physical therapist develops a care plan that may combine guided exercise, therapeutic touch, pain science and lifestyle education, stress management strategies, and pain-relief methods such as heat, ice, ultrasound, or gentle electrical stimulation.
Physical therapy may help with:
- Chronic back or neck pain — improve posture and strengthen muscles
- Arthritis or joint stiffness — increase range of motion and ease discomfort
- Post-surgical or sports injuries — rebuild strength, mobility, and function
- Neurological conditions — support balance and coordination with MS, Parkinson's, or after stroke
- Recurrent pain flare-ups — develop home strategies to prevent and manage pain
Physical therapy may help people reclaim the strength and mobility needed for daily routines with less pain and greater confidence.
Learn More About Physical
Therapy in Minnesota
Find a Physical Therapist in Minnesota
Physical therapy dates back to 435 B.C., when Hippocrates used movement and manual techniques to support healing—a tradition that continues today in modern, evidence-based care. Search the NOPAINMN directory to find a physical therapist in Minnesota near you.
