Important Facts About Chronic Pain

Oct 3
10:25

2016

Jennifer More

Jennifer More

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Pain that lasts more than 3-4 months is known as chronic pain. Though getting complete relief from this situation is not easy, it is possible to manage it. With the help of various treatment options available, it is easy to reduce the intensity of pain without any side effects. However, it is important to start with the right treatment technique.

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Pain is the body’s own way of letting the concerned person know that something is wrong with their health. It can either happen suddenly or build slowly with passing time. While sometimes pain is mild,Important Facts About Chronic Pain  Articles it can be severe at times. It is important to know that if a pain is left untreated, it can lead to chronic pain, causing more discomfort. As per the studies of chronic pain management in North Carolina, such types of pain disable more people as compared to heart diseases or cancer. Let’s us discover the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain.

Symptoms

Any pain that lasts more than 12 weeks is termed as chronic pain. It may occur due to back sprain, any ongoing cause like illness, an initial injury, etc. Knowing the root cause is not possible always, as sometimes there can be no clear cause. This type of pain is accompanied by insomnia, mood swings, fatigue and reduced appetite. As a result, the concerned person can experience reduction in strength, flexibility and stamina. As obvious, carrying out daily activities and enjoying day-to-day life gets affected.

Diagnosis

Calling pain as a personal and subjective experience won’t be wrong. Estimating and locating the pain accurately is not possible. Hence, doctors consider patient’s own experience with the problem, which includes area of discomfort, its intensity and duration. Factors such as whether the health issue is dull or sharp, continuous or on-and-off, aching or burning, can help in concluding the appropriate reason behind the discomfort.

As pain occurs in various locations of the body and has several reasons, it is good for the patients as well as their physicians to work in harmony in order to figure out the real cause and signs of the issue.

With the modern technology, it is easier for health experts to form a diagnosis and effective treatment plans.

Treatment

Reducing the pain and improving the functioning is the main aim behind the treatment. This is important to help the person resume their day-to-day activities comfortably. There are a number of treatment options available these days. Though curing the pain completely is not possible, it is possible to manage it. Some of the best options are:

  • Acupuncture
  • Nerve blocks
  • Medications
  • Electrical stimulation
  • Relaxation therapy
  • Psychotherapy
  • Behavior modification
  • Biofeedback

Besides these alternatives, self-management is also a very effective approach. In the self-management technique, patients act as the active participant in the treatment process and engage in pacing, problem-solving, concluding decision and implementing the actions.

With all these treatment options available, it is possible to lower the pain, feel better and get back to normal life without any discomfort.