I had a physical therapist several years ago that explained the pain medication to me so eloquently, I've never fought the need for medication with PT since.
You love your body enough to make the effort to heal and feel better. So, you go to PT and, with great care, work on strengthening your muscles, stretching yourself out, floating in warm water to relax your aches, whatever modality you've chosen. When you're finished, your body is pleased and you feel pretty good.
Afterward, you deny your body the pain control it needs, because you don't "like" taking pills. To minimize your suffering, you cease all activity and curl up in your bed, where your muscles become stiff and contracted. Phychologically, the pain takes its own toll and your stress level increases. By the time you "give in" and take the medication, it's not enough to completely address the problems caused by trying to avoid the pills for those hours.
When you return to PT for the next session, at the very best you're starting in the same place as your last visit. Or more likely, you're starting out tighter, more contracted, more physically and psychologically drained from stress, and in more pain than you were at the last visit. You make no progress whatsoever. You are essentially treading water, going nowhere.
But, if you love your body enough to make all that effort, to work on strengthening, stretching, aquatic therapy, or whatever modality you choose AND provide your body with adequate pain management afterward, you give your body what it needs to maintain itself or even continue to heal during the time between the sessions. Then, you'll make the progress you're seeking.