Physical Therapy vs. Pain Injections: What’s the Best Treatment for Chronic Pain?

If you’re living with chronic pain, you've likely been told to try physical therapy—or maybe your doctor suggested injections. But which is actually better?

It’s one of the most common questions we hear from patients struggling with long-term pain, especially when the discomfort starts to interfere with daily life. You may be tired of masking the symptoms with over-the-counter meds, or perhaps you've tried resting and stretching without much relief. When it comes time to consider professional treatment, the options can feel overwhelming—and knowing what will actually work for your body isn’t always clear.

The truth is, both physical therapy (PT) and pain injections have proven benefits—but they serve different roles. For some, PT may be the foundation of recovery. For others, injections may provide the breakthrough needed to regain function. And often, the best outcomes happen when the two are used together in a thoughtful, strategic way.

Understanding Chronic Pain: What Are We Treating?

Before choosing the right treatment, it’s important to understand what we’re treating when we talk about chronic pain.

Chronic pain is typically defined as pain that lasts longer than three months, often persisting well beyond the normal healing time of an injury or condition. Unlike acute pain—which is your body’s natural response to injury—chronic pain tends to linger, evolve, and become more complex over time. It can range from a dull, constant ache to sharp, debilitating flare-ups that come and go unpredictably.

Some of the most common causes of chronic pain we see at Medici Orthopaedics & Spine include:

• Osteoarthritis – the gradual breakdown of cartilage in joints
• Sciatica – nerve compression in the lower spine causing radiating leg pain
• Herniated Discs – spinal disc damage putting pressure on nerves
• Post-surgical Pain – discomfort that continues after surgical recovery
• Old Injuries – untreated or poorly healed sprains, fractures, or soft tissue damage
• Muscle Imbalances – poor posture or overuse leading to chronic strain

But chronic pain isn’t just about physical symptoms. It affects how you move, how you sleep, how you interact with others, and even how you feel mentally. Many patients experience fatigue, depression, anxiety, and a diminished sense of control over their lives.

What Is Physical Therapy (PT)?

Physical therapy (PT) is a movement-based, rehabilitative approach designed to help individuals recover from injuries, manage chronic pain, and improve their overall physical function. Rather than masking symptoms, PT focuses on identifying the root cause of pain—whether it’s joint misalignment, muscle weakness, or poor movement mechanics—and correcting it through guided, therapeutic interventions.

At its core, the goals of physical therapy are simple but powerful:

• Improve mobility and flexibility
• Reduce pain and inflammation
• Strengthen supporting muscles and joints
• Restore normal movement and daily function

A physical therapy plan is highly personalized and may include a variety of techniques, such as:

• Therapeutic exercise – to rebuild strength and endurance
• Manual therapy – hands-on techniques to mobilize soft tissues and joints
• Stretching routines – to improve flexibility and reduce stiffness
• Myofascial release – to address trigger points and muscle tension
• Posture and movement correction – to re-train healthy patterns and avoid re-injury

Benefits of Physical Therapy:

• ✅ Non-invasive and drug-free – A natural, safe option that avoids the need for surgery or long-term medication use
• ✅ Empowers you – PT gives you the tools and knowledge to manage your condition and improve over time
• ✅ Prevents future issues – By addressing imbalances and improving movement, PT helps avoid recurring pain and injury
• ✅ Safe for long-term use – Unlike injections or medications, PT can be maintained indefinitely to support joint and muscle health

Ideal for:

• Joint stiffness from aging or inactivity
• Recovery after injury or orthopedic surgery
• Early-stage osteoarthritis
• Movement dysfunction, such as poor posture or gait abnormalities

What Are Pain Injections?

Pain injections, also known as interventional pain treatments, are minimally invasive procedures designed to deliver targeted relief directly to the source of pain. Unlike oral medications that affect the entire body, these injections focus on the specific area causing discomfort, offering faster and more localized results.

At Medici Orthopaedics & Spine, we offer several types of injections depending on your condition and pain pattern, including:

• Cortisone Injections – Powerful anti-inflammatory medication injected into joints or soft tissues to reduce swelling and irritation. Commonly used for arthritis, bursitis, and tendonitis.
• Nerve Blocks – Used to "block" pain signals from specific nerves, often in cases of sciatica, neuropathy, or chronic back and neck pain.
• Trigger Point Injections – Target tight muscle knots (trigger points) that refer pain to other areas of the body, often used for myofascial pain syndrome or fibromyalgia.

Goals of Pain Injections:

• 🔹 Reduce inflammation in and around joints or irritated nerves
• 🔹 Interrupt pain signals traveling through the nervous system
• 🔹 Create a window of relief that allows healing and participation in other treatments like physical therapy

Benefits of Pain Injections:

• ✅ Fast relief – Many patients feel better within days, making it ideal for those in acute distress
• ✅ Targeted treatment – Medication goes exactly where it's needed, minimizing systemic side effects
• ✅ Supports rehabilitation – Reduces pain enough to allow comfortable participation in physical therapy or everyday activities

Ideal for:

• Moderate-to-severe pain that hasn’t responded to conservative treatments
• Nerve-related pain such as sciatica or radiculopathy
• Arthritis flares, especially in the knees, shoulders, or spine
• Spinal conditions, including herniated discs, facet joint pain, and post-surgical inflammation

While injections are not a long-term cure, they are often a powerful tool within a broader pain management plan. When paired with physical therapy, they can accelerate progress, reduce dependency on medications, and help patients regain function more quickly.

Physical Therapy vs. Pain Injections: Key Differences

When deciding between physical therapy and pain injections, it’s important to understand how each treatment works and what outcomes you can expect. While both approaches aim to relieve pain and restore function, they do so in very different ways.

Each treatment has its place depending on the cause, intensity, and location of your pain. For example, someone with mild arthritis may benefit most from ongoing physical therapy, while a patient with severe sciatica might need an injection first to calm nerve inflammation before starting rehab.

Can You Combine Both for Better Results?

Absolutely—and in many cases, it’s the most effective path to lasting relief.

While physical therapy and pain injections can each offer significant benefits on their own, combining the two often produces the best results, especially for patients dealing with complex or long-standing pain.

Here’s how it works:

• Injections reduce inflammation and temporarily quiet pain signals. This creates a critical window of relief where patients can move more comfortably and engage more fully in physical therapy.
• Physical therapy builds long-term strength and mobility, helping to address the root causes of pain—like muscle weakness, joint instability, or poor movement mechanics.
• Together, these treatments help reduce the likelihood of recurring flare-ups and minimize the need for repeated injections in the future.

As Dr. Sonny Dosanjh, founder of Medici Orthopaedics & Spine, often advises:

“Pain relief isn’t one-size-fits-all. We often find the best outcomes come from combining targeted pain control with functional rehabilitation. It’s not just about feeling better—it’s about moving better and living better, too.”

At Medici, our integrative approach means you don’t have to choose between one treatment or the other—we evaluate your unique condition and build a care plan that combines the right therapies, at the right time, for the best possible outcome.

Find the Right Relief—Tailored to You

When it comes to managing chronic pain, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. There’s no “better” treatment—just the right treatment for your needs. Physical therapy and pain injections are powerful tools in their own right, but when used together strategically, they often offer the most complete and lasting relief.

Whether you're dealing with joint stiffness, nerve pain, or a condition like osteoarthritis, early intervention is key. The sooner you work with a care team that understands the full picture of your pain, the sooner you can get back to doing the things you love—without relying on invasive surgery or long-term medications.

📞 Still unsure which treatment is right for you? Let’s figure it out together.
Call Medici Orthopaedics & Spine at +1-844-328-4624 or visit medicimedicalarts.com to book your consultation today.

We proudly serve patients in Kennesaw, Snellville, and Buckhead, with advanced surgical centers in Marietta and Snellville—helping Georgia move better, with less pain.

If you're searching for the best doctor for osteoarthritis treatment in Georgia, Medici offers the expert care, compassion, and cutting-edge solutions you need to reclaim your life—on your terms.

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