Pain Management

Pain management means getting the right treatment for physical and emotional pain. The pain may be sharp, dull, aching, burning, strong, or mild.

What is Pain?

Pain comes from messages between the brain and specialized nerves. The experience varies from one person to another. Pain can be acute or chronic.

Acute pain:

• Is sudden
• Typically resolves within a certain amount of time, usually a few weeks to months
• Can result from an illness, injury, or surgery

Acute pain often serves as a protective response from your body. With acute pain, you will generally be encouraged to stay active and gradually return to your normal activities.

Chronic pain:

• Persists, generally for three months or more

A report on chronic pain from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that chronic pain affects about 50 million U.S. adults. High-impact chronic pain that regularly interferes with work or life affects approximately 20 million U.S. adults.

Retrain your Brain

Pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined.

Chronic pain is usually caused by something other than a tissue injury. Muscle, bones ligament, and disk injuries usually heal in three to six months. Many doctors recommend initially using medications to treat chronic pain, then taper down their use over time according to a care plan.

Chronic pain is often due to increased sensitivity of the nerves. This means that we must retrain the brain’s reaction to pain.

Active approaches are best for retraining the brain. Physical therapy, yoga, and general exercise are some examples. Diet and lifestyle also affect how our brain perceives pain.

Pain influences people’s lives and can affect your mood and stress levels. Finding ways to reduce stress can help treat pain by winding down the nervous system.

Treatments

Every person experiences and responds to pain differently. You aren’t alone and there is hope in behavioral, physical, and pharmacological alternative options. No single treatment works for everyone.

If you’re experiencing pain, you and your provider can discuss and determine the best treatment plan for you.

Resources

• Pain Education Project
• Total Force Fitness
• The Performance Triad