Chronic pain is a hot topic not just amongst the physical therapy world, but all of medicine, health, and wellness.
Anyone of any age can experience pain and likely will at least once in their life, but what is pain? You may be thinking something along the lines of, “It is easy to tell when I am in it, but what is the reason pain occurs and how can I stop it?” If you have ever asked yourself these questions, you are not alone!
Pain can be defined as an unpleasant sensation that we usually associate with injury or tissue damage but can be present in the absence of tissue damage as well. Essentially, pain is a communication between body and brain as a protective mechanism to alert us of injury and/or to prevent further harm.
How Do I Know if I Have Chronic Pain?
When doctors and physical therapists evaluate the presence of pain, it can be divided into two groups: acute and chronic. Acute pain can range in intensity but lasts for up to 12 weeks. This type of pain is a warning sign from our body to our brain that some degree of tissue damage has occurred or is indicating the presence of a threat of potential tissue damage.
Chronic pain is a different animal, however. This type of pain ranges from discomfort or other unpleasant sensations and typically has been experienced by the person for over 12 weeks. When pain is constant or chronic, the brain and nervous system go on “high alert,” becoming more sensitive to the nerve signals from the body.
Why Does Chronic Pain Occur and What Can I Do About It?
Unfortunately, there are many causes of chronic pain and it is a very complex topic that is still not fully understood yet. Chronic pain can start from a previous illness or injury where the associated pain remains, even long after you may have recovered. Sometimes, the chronic pain one suffers from may not have any past injury or illness that could account for it, seeming completely random. There can also be other conditions that make having chronic pain more likely, including arthritis, cancer, or fibromyalgia.
When it comes to seeking treatment for chronic pain, there are a few different avenues that may work for you. One of the best ways to manage chronic pain is through physical therapy. Physical therapy is a great way to try and heal your body while working through some of what is causing your pain. If you find that moving in certain ways is difficult, seeing a physical therapist can be useful for showing you new ways of moving that will not contribute to your pain. Physical therapists are also able to provide assistance in helping you learn more about your pain, which can be critical to dealing with it. Whether it be pain education, strength training, hands-on therapy techniques, or modality use (i.e. heat, electrical stimulation, etc), physical therapy can be a very helpful resource for keeping you safe and dealing with pain.
Another option for treating chronic pain is drugs as pain relievers. While some over-the-counter and prescription medicines have been shown to help ease chronic pain, these drugs are statistically abused at a very high rate. This is because the longer you take such medication (as is the case with chronic pain), the more used to it your body becomes, requiring you to take it more frequently or at higher strengths.
While the goal is to get rid of your pain, the goal is to do so in a healthy way that doesn’t cause dependence or addiction. The start of the opioid epidemic began in the 2010s and has continued to be one of the United States’ biggest issues over the last decade. This must stop! Having knowledge of your choices of pain management and relief OTHER than medications can help give you more control over your situation. When you increase your control, you can increase the power you have over your own pain.
Reminder: Your Mental Health Matters Too!
An important note can be made about the impact our mental health has regarding our pain tolerance and levels. Our general emotional state has an effect on our pain, for both better and worse. In fact, people who dwell on their discomfort tend to be more disabled and negatively impacted by their chronic pain than their more positive counterparts. Of course, that is much easier said than done when you are feeling said pain, but it is important to keep in mind. If you are to get stuck in a cycle of negativity resolving around your pain, it can be hard to break!
Imagine this: you become injured and start to experience an expected amount of pain. You go through the necessary healing process and think you are getting better, when all of a sudden the pain comes back ten-fold. You start to become depressed thinking about how little progress you are making and find yourself in more pain every day. That pain then continues to negatively affect your outlook and mental health. You may be stressed or fearful while you think about everything your pain is holding you back from, causing your body to continue being on “high alert” and in pain. This, of course, causes you to once again be depressed about your pain. See where I am going with this? It is a hard cycle to break! Being in a continuous state of depression and negativity can impact not only your pain sensitivity but pain interpretation as well, even without a physical injury. This goes to show how much of an impact our mental health plays in our pain, and vice versa.
Although it is easy to forget when you are stuck on the tangible pain of your body, it is so important to make sure you are not only taking care of your physical health, but keeping your emotional and mental state stable as well.
As always, if you have any questions about chronic pain and how you can go about treating it, please reach out to iMove PT or book your first appointment now. One of our missions at iMove PT is to make the world a happier, healthier place where fewer people are living with chronic pain. Thank you for reading!