This article puts you in touch with various pain resource management experts. Our treatment for chronic pain aims to reduce pain, restore functionality, and increase mobility.
Pain Resource Management for Chronic Pain
Pain that persists for more than three to six months is considered chronic pain. While acute pain from an injury typically subsides after a period of healing, chronic pain persists.
When pain is perceived in the nerves, pain signals are sent to the brain. Over time the effect of continuous or chronic pain takes a toll on your physical, mental, and emotional health.
There is hope, as healthcare professionals and pain science advance and raise awareness towards chronic conditions to provide patients with educational resources and appropriate treatment for people living with pain to live a better quality life.
Chronic pain is a serious health condition. Like any long-term health problem, the condition often leads to complications beyond your physical symptoms. This can be new or worsened depression, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping.
Chronic pain can make it more difficult to keep up at work, manage tasks at home and attend social gatherings, leading to problems in your relationships and financial instability. Some healthcare research suggests that the more severe your pain, the more serious the problems.
Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions (COPC)
Common COPCs include combinations of:
- TMD / TMJ
- Fibromyalgia
- Migraines
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Vulvodynia
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
- Painful Bladder Syndrome
- Endometriosis
- Nervous System Pain
- Chronic Lower Back Pain
Scientists don’t fully understand the underlying causes and mechanisms of COPCs. However, it’s thought that a combination of genetic and environmental factors makes some people more susceptible.
The wide variety of possible COPC combinations means that COPC patients can present with a wide array of symptoms and neuropathic pain.
Healthcare providers may check for neurological disorders and apply a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. Common symptoms are:
- Fatigue
- Sleep Disorders (Insomnia)
- Cognitive Problems
- Mood disturbances and physical dysfunction that result from, or add to, the pain
Pain Resource Management for Chronic Pain Patients
An estimated 20 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches. Some 70 million people are afflicted with back pain. Up to 50 million endure the distress of arthritis.
Chronic pain costs public and private concerns in the United States as much as $70 billion a year. Awareness about chronic pain has increased dramatically in recent years.
It is vital for your well-being to seek pain management for pain that does not get better or go away within a reasonable amount of time.
The longer you suffer from chronic pain, the harder it is to treat. When you are in pain, you may also experience tiredness, depression, stress, loneliness, anger, and anxiety.
Looking into chronic pain management can be the first step towards relief.
Don’t be afraid to tell someone if you are in pain. Even if the pain seems tolerable, if it doesn’t go away after several months, you should see a pain specialist and begin your search for pain management tools.
Pain Resource Management
To relieve chronic pain, healthcare providers and pain specialists first try to identify and treat the cause. However, sometimes understanding pain can be difficult and they are unable find the source. If so, they turn to treating, or managing, the pain condition.
The American Chronic Pain Association’s mission is to facilitate peer support, support groups, resources, and education for individuals with chronic pain and their families so that these individuals may live more fully in spite of their pain.
To raise awareness among the health care community, complementary and integrative health, policymakers, and the public at large about issues of living with chronic pain.
The American Migraine Foundation is a nonprofit organization. They are dedicated to mobilizing a community for migraine patients through support groups and advocacy, as well as drive and support impactful research. This translates into advances for patients with migraines and other disabling diseases that cause severe head pain.
There are many nonprofit organization platforms that offer free resources in person as well as free online resources to help American society gain a better understanding of patients suffering from daily pain.
Finding a great resource for prevention and education resources can be your first step to busting the common myths surrounding pain management and how a reputable pain foundation could be the key to your much-needed pain care.
Pain Medicine
Pain medicine is more ammunition in your pain resource management treatment. Working in partnership with your doctor can help to identify treatments that allow you to live an enjoyable, fulfilling life. The approach you choose should include more than just medication, but painkillers are likely to play a role.
Treatment of chronic pain usually involves medicines and therapy. Medicines used for chronic pain include pain relievers, antidepressants, and anticonvulsants.
Different types of medicines help people who have different types of pain. You usually use long-acting medicines for constant pain. Short-acting medicines treat short-term, or acute, pain.
The goal of chronic pain treatment is to increase function and quality of life. Different types of medicines help people who have different types of pain.
For instance, short-acting medicines treat pain that comes and goes. Long-acting medicines treat constant pain.
The most common medicines are listed below. Each one may have side effects. These can range from mild to severe. It’s important to follow your doctor’s orders on how to use your pain medicine.
If you have questions about side effects or about how much medicine to take, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Based on the CDC guide, learn about the risks and benefits of common pain medications so that you can make safe choices as you seek your solution.
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
NSAIDs are most effective for mild to moderate pain that’s accompanied by swelling and inflammation.
These drugs are commonly used for arthritis and pain that results from muscle sprains, strains, back and neck injuries, or menstrual cramps.
Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen is usually recommended as a first-line treatment for mild to moderate pain, such as from a skin injury, headache, or musculoskeletal condition.
This is often prescribed to help manage osteoarthritis (OA) and back pain. It may also be combined with opioids to reduce the number of opioids needed.
COX-2 Inhibitors
These medications were developed with the aim of reducing common side effects associated with traditional NSAIDs. COX-2 inhibitors are commonly used for arthritis and pain resulting from muscle sprains, strains, back and neck injuries, or menstrual cramps.
They are as effective as NSAIDs and may be the right choice if you need long-term pain control without increased risk of stomach damage.
Anti-Depressants and Anti-Seizure Medications
Some medications commonly prescribed to manage depression and prevent epileptic seizures have also been found to help relieve chronic pain, including back pain, fibromyalgia, and diabetes-related nerve pain (diabetic neuropathy).
Because chronic pain often worsens depression, anti-depressants may doubly benefit pain and mood symptoms.
Medical & Therapy Options for Pain Resource Management
At QLMC Medical, treatment for chronic pain aims to reduce pain, restore functionality, increase mobility and restore quality of life. While these treatments may not take away all your pain, they can help to a large extent as part of a pain management program.
The professionals here at QLMC understand the severity and the frequency of pain. We know that pain and tolerance for pain can vary from person to person. So we tailor your treatment plan to your individual needs. While under treatment, you will be under the strict observance of your doctor for this period of time.
Your treatment may range through a variety of options including non-invasive treatments as well as interventional pain procedures. QLMC prescribes and manages your pain medications with the goal of maintaining your functionality and monitoring your dosages over time.
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