As hard as it may be to remember, pain can have a purpose. Sudden, onset pain can be your body’s way of shouting, “Hey, we don’t like that position, you might get hurt!” Pain can be a reminder of your body’s need to heal. Pain can also be an indicator there is something wrong and your body needs help to repair and restore back to normal function. Whatever the case may be, when pain lasts longer than an injury may take to heal, your body is facing chronic pain and may need our help.
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain can be hard to distinguish in terms of how it feels for a number of reasons. First, patients experience pain and use a variety of words to talk about their pain. Second, depending on the type of chronic pain, the same patient may describe it differently. Some report pain as feeling sharp and piercing, others as dull and aching. Some may feel the pain continuously; others may feel intermittent times without noticing it all. According to healthline.com and many health providers, chronic pain is best defined by the length of time experienced, usually 12 weeks or more.
What causes Chronic Pain?
Frequently, chronic pain is caused by a trauma or injury of some type or occurs after surgery. It could be a physical injury from activity or a fall. Healthline.com states, “It’s believed that chronic pain develops after nerves become damaged. The nerve damage makes pain more intense and long lasting. In these cases, treating the underlying injury may not resolve the chronic pain.” This can be troublesome for patients who see an injury or surgical site heal, but are still having lasting issues related to their past. Chronic pain could be from issues related to a health condition like arthritis, cancer, fibromyalgia, or others. With these underlying conditions, it feels imperative to relieve as much pain as possible in order to allow patients to handle the other symptoms and factors that play into their lives.
What can I do about it?
Treatment for chronic pain would vary greatly depending on the patient and the initial cause of the chronic pain. A patient with chronic pain due to arthritis may get a completely different treatment plan from a patient experiencing chronic pain from a post-surgical issue. A vital part of our care for our community is to have extensive discussion and evaluation with each of our patients to truly understand the location of the pain (because it can be difficult to pinpoint), the magnitude of the pain, and the cause of the ongoing issue. We know each of our patients wants relief and we want to put together a path to lead them to successfully resume their day-to-day life. Some of the options may include nerve blocks, massage therapy, nutrition services, or many other choices. In the meantime, before we can visit with you, continue getting as much quality rest as possible, eat well, and try to exercise regularly, modifying as needed.
Republic Pain Specialists want to discover and treat the cause of your pain, whether chronic or not. If you are suffering from pain, we have a number of options that can successfully help you move past this condition and resume your regular lifestyle. Contact us today to set an appointment.