How is chronic pain treated?

Post your questions about pain management for our experts here.

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by Guest Posts on Mon Oct 17, 2016 2:11 pm

How is chronic pain treated?

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How is chronic pain treated?
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Dr Martin E Johnson
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by Dr Martin E Johnson on Tue Oct 18, 2016 9:36 am

Re: How is chronic pain treated?

The first part of the treatment journey is an accurate assessment of the cause and nature of the pain. Secondly the effect that pain has on your mental health has to be assessed along with issues that the pain is causing in your life e.g. work restrictions, stress on the family. Then a personal plan needs to be developed based on your individual needs. The plan may involve exercises, physiotherapy (or other manual therapies), counselling, other psychological therapies such as mindfulness, or even injections and operations. Everyone is different and needs different personalised treatment. Drugs, if used correctly, can sometimes help. Learning to manage your own pain (self-management) is of paramount importance.
Dr Martin E Johnson
Co-Chair, Chronic Pain Policy Coalition
http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... ohnson.php

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Arthritis Action
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by Arthritis Action on Tue Oct 18, 2016 1:12 pm

Re: How is chronic pain treated?

Pain, whilst unpleasant, can be a very useful sensation to have. Short term (acute) pain helps us to avoid injury and is part of the natural healing process. Usually after the harm has healed, this pain goes away, and we can get on with our lives.

However, in some circumstances, pain may persist (chronic pain).This has no clear beneficial purpose, may not respond well to conventional treatments for acute pain (such as anti-inflammatory) and can be difficult to diagnose, which can make it very distressing.

Never-the-less, there is hope. Depending on the type of persistent pain, there are a number of things you can do to help yourself.

Distraction techniques such as breathing exercises, relaxation and guided imagery can help to manage the pain. Many people find that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Mindfulness can help to reduce the emotional impact of the condition. Research suggests that graded exercises and certain physical therapies such as osteopathy, physiotherapy, acupuncture and massage may stimulate the body to produce strong natural pain killing chemicals (endorphins) that may be of benefit. Pacing your activities can help to reduce the likelihood of a flare-up of symptoms.

Sometimes over the counter medications are ineffective in persistent pain conditions and referral (through your GP) to a specialist pain management team may be appropriate where your current medication will be reviewed and something that is more likely to work for you can be found.

To find out more about the self-management of persistent pain conditions, visit: https://www.arthritisaction.org.uk/what ... nt-events/
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Matthew Rogers | Director of Therapies

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