Understanding chronic pain

Imagine suffering from something that your doctor, loved ones, or co-workers cannot see, feel or touch. It can be difficult to understand and even feel compassion for. Yet, for nearly 100 million Americans, chronic pain is a daily struggle on the inside, while the person appears fine on the outside.

The price tag is heavy, with medical care and lost productivity exceeding $635 billion a year. To put that in perspective, it is more than the yearly costs of heart disease, cancer, and stroke—the number one, two and three causes of death in Americans. And there is no price tag that can be placed on the suffering and loss of happiness that it causes.

Dr. Nina’s What You Need to Know About Chronic Pain:

What Is Chronic Pain?

The International Association for the Study of Pain defines it as “ongoing or recurrent pain, lasting beyond the usual course of acute illness or injury or more than 3 to 6 months, and which adversely affects the individual’s well-being.” In other words, it continues when it should not. We typically see chronic pain stemming from the back, neck, headaches, cancer and joints, but it can exist anywhere we can think of on our bodies and can range from mild to severe.

What Causes Pain?

After we step on a nail or jam our toe, a nerve near the injury sends a signal to the brain via the spinal cord, creating the sensation of pain. Mother Nature did not design this willy-nilly; the sensation of pain is meant to protect us from harm. The brain instantly (and reflexively) sends back a “warning” signal to our foot to “retreat” in order to prevent further injury. In the case of chronic pain, the signal keeps firing and the feeling of pain continues.

What are the effects of chronic pain?

Anyone who has experienced a paper cut knows it hurts really, really, REALLY bad. Imagine if this excruciating pain lasted for weeks, months or years. For some, it does. It is easy to see how chronic pain can prevent good sleep, affect the ability to concentrate and cause depression. Studies have also shown that chronic pain can hinder our body’s ability to fight off infections. The effects of chronic pain may also “spill over” and create stress and tension with co-workers and family members.

Avoid the “Do-It-Yourself” Conundrum

For the occasional ache or pain, over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen, work effectively and quickly with minimal side effects. However, they are not intended for long-term use or to be taken in higher than recommended doses. If we find ourselves needing more than one week of treatment in a row, it may be time to enlist our doctor to help navigate through the problem and avoid side effects.

Chronicling Pain

Chronicling pain is subjective. Only the person experiencing the pain can describe it properly. That is why keeping a journal can help our doctor establish an accurate diagnosis and create a successful treatment plan. Use a scale from 1-10 to rate our pain (with 10 being the worst). Additionally, describe where the pain is, what it feels like (aching, burning, sharp), what makes it worse or better and how it may be limiting our activities in order to provide valuable information to our doctor.

Get Help

Making an appointment to consult with our doctor is half the battle. It puts us on the road to increasing our function, improving our quality of life, and reducing our sense of suffering. In some cases,a doctor may refer us to a pain management specialist that can tailor and monitor a multi-modal treatment plan. After all, we are uniquely different and what worked for our friends may not work for us.

Chronic pain sufferers often suffer silently, from stigma or from inadequate pain relief. The end result includes sleep disturbances, an inability to concentrate, poor self-esteem, disability and isolation. Let’s take a look at how we can get back on the road to manage our chronic pain, as well as jump into the driver’s seat and steer. Stay tuned for next week’s article on specific treatments that are available.

This information is for educational purposes and should not be considered specific medical advice. Always consult with a qualified medical professional regarding your individual circumstances.

Dr. Nina Radcliff is dedicated to her profession, her patients and her community, at large. She is passionate about sharing wise preventive health measures. Contact her on Facebook or Twitter @drninaradcliff.