New guide about chronic pain care providers in China released

The back hurts yet again. We’ve certainly slept poorly; a lousy mattress is to blame. The pain lingers, until one day we find that it’s staying for good. When we notice that pain, we start to seek help, but we’re also confused with what type of treatments are available, and where to find them.

Chiropractic, osteopathic, and physiotherapeutic care: what is the difference between them? Which practitioner should you visit for your particular type of chronic pain? While the key similarity between chiropractic, osteopathic and physiotherapeutic practices is their non-invasive approach to treatment, this Pacific Prime China Chronic Pain Care Providers Guide explains the differences between these three main types of chronic pain care, where to seek treatment, how much it costs, and your insurance options.

This free health guide by Pacific Prime China is one of many prepared by our in-house insurance experts to help expatriates in Beijing and Shanghai better understand the Chinese health system, common threats and medical issues in the region, and most importantly, simplify insurance processes for them.

What is acute and chronic pain?

We all feel pain from time to time. It might be due to an injury, sickness, or we simply have a headache. These above types of pain are called acute pain – they emerge quickly, and can feel sharp and severe. They are usually caused by something specific and go away when there’s no longer an underlying cause for the pain (e.g. the wound has healed).

Chronic pain, however, is a long-lasting state of pain, and is typically defined as pain that remains for 12 weeks or more. In some cases, ignored acute pain such as back pain or neck pain can transform over time into chronic pain, and from there it can last for weeks, months and even years, making the sufferer’s life tiresome. People suffering from chronic pain, find it difficult to carry out regular day to day activities, and often depend on painkillers. Sometimes, they might even need surgery for effective relief.

Chronic body pain: treatment options

Depending on the body part affected by chronic pain, as well as its causes and severity, either surgical intervention, oral medication, and/or or manual/physical therapy might be your best option. In this article, we will focus on the wide range of non-invasive treatment options that are available for patients. The manual/physical therapies include chiropractic, osteopathic, and physiotherapeutic treatment. Manual treatment means that the practitioner will only use their hands to treat the pain, like massage, manual resistance training, and stretching. Physical therapy may also involve the use of other devices, such as electrotherapy devices, functional rehabilitation devices, etc.

Chiropractic v.s. Osteopathy v.s. Physiotherapy

The differences between chiropractic, osteopathic, and physiotherapeutic care can be quite unclear. To better help you understand what to expect from the three different types of chronic pain care providers, we have created our latest China Chronic Pain Care Provider Guide.

When pain becomes persistent and starts to interfere with your everyday life, that’s when you need to start looking for help. Oftentimes you might not even know how and when the chronic pain started, and when seeking treatment you might find yourself confused between the differences of physiotherapeutic, chiropractic, and osteopathic care.

All of these practitioners can help in further determining the cause of your particular pain, and use manual and physical therapy to ease the pain and educate you on ways you can relieve the pain outside of the practitioner’s office.

About our China Chronic Pain Care Provider Guide

We’ve covered the similarities between the three types of chronic pain care providers in China, but to learn about the differences between these providers, and which provider is the right one for your specific case, we encourage you to download our free China Chronic Pain Care Provider Guide.  In it, you’ll find more information about chronic pain, its types and causes, and also a wealth of information on topics such as:

• What are the similarities and differences between chiropractic, osteopathic, and physiotherapeutic care?
• What can I expect from a typical chiropractic, osteopathic, or physiotherapeutic consultation?
• How much does each treatment session cost in Shanghai and Beijing?
• Does my health insurance plan cover chiropractic, osteopathic, and physiotherapeutic treatment?

In the guide, we also included expat-popular chronic pain care provider facilities in Beijing and Shanghai, and explained in great detail how to avoid rejected claims when it comes to reimbursements for chiropractic, osteopathic, and psychotherapeutic treatments in China.

Download our China Chronic Pain Care Provider Guide  

Now that you have an overview of the subject, it’s time for you to download a complimentary copy of our China Chronic Pain Care Providers Guide. Learn in more detail about the differences between all of the chronic pain care providers that we briefly discussed in this article, and gain the necessary knowledge you will need for choosing the right treatment, as well as ensure your insurance coverage is adequate to cover the therapy costs.

We are also here to answer all of your health and insurance questions, so whether you’re seeking advice for yourself, your family, or even a business, feel free to contact us for a free plan comparison, insurance advice, and quote.

Disclaimer: Pacific Prime China solely represents, operates and manages locally regulated insurance products and services in the territory of PR China. Any references to Pacific Prime Global Company or Group, the international services, insurance products or otherwise stated written or verbally, is for introduction purposes about our overseas network only as each entity is fully independent.