What is chronic pain?

Chronic Pain- An overview

It is normal to experience some pain and aches occasionally, but if they last long, there is something you need to fret about. Chronic pain usually lasts months or years and affects almost all body parts. If left untreated, pain can even lead to depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. It may feel sharp and dull, or be steady or come and go without any reason. 

The first step is to understand the cause and use the most effective approach, which may include medications, therapies, and lifestyle changes. 

What are the causes of chronic pain?

Chronic pain may or may not have an obvious cause. Sometimes a prolonged illness such as arthritis or cancer can be the reason for ongoing pain. Injuries and diseases likely leave you vulnerable to pain even though you have healed from the distressing cause. Any infection, sprain, a broken bone, muscle spasms, are physiological causes of chronic pain. 

Perhaps some causes are not imputed to any injury or physical condition. They are known to trigger psychogenic pain or psychosomatic pain. Healthcare calls them to be a manifestation of psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, and depression. 

Quality and affordable public healthcare system in larger parts of rural and semi-urban areas in India is still not quite accessible or fully functional with the latest technology. Though incidents of chronic pain are quite common in urban pockets, with a large number of these being lifestyle related, increasingly more cases of pains are being reported from rural areas of India as well.

It is likely you may have two or more causes of chronic pain- you may have a migraine and psychogenic pain together.

What are the symptoms of chronic pain?

Chronic pain is itself a sign that something is wrong with your body or its parts. The pain can range from mild to intense. 

Sometimes the pain is just one of the many signs, including:

• Feeling exhausted
• Poor appetite
• Trouble sleeping
• Mood swings
• Weakness
• Fever in some cases

How Does Chronic Pain Affect Physical And Psychological Health?

Chronic pain influences every aspect of your life- physical or psychological condition. In a 2006 study, it was taken out that 77% of people with chronic pain had signs of depression because of difficulty sleeping. 

More or less pain affects your body differently in a way, as it:

• Makes you moody and depressive
• Affects sleep
• Decreases the ability to exercise
• Reduces appetite
• Leads to difficulty in doing household chores
• Makes it tough for you to participate in social & community activities
• Impacts cognitive functioning (thinking, reasoning, concentrating)

The History of Pain Management Technique

Before modern medicine came into the picture, opioids were the only go-to-pain management solution. Now, medical interventions have advanced to alternative pain management methods in providing effective long-term solutions to chronic pain. Depending upon the cause and the area affected, the doctors create pain management plans that are specific to each patient. Medical treatments, lifestyle remedies, or a combination of these methods are now used to treat your chronic pain.

Treatment Options for Chronic pain:

The main goal of any chronic pain management program is to reduce pain and improve mobility without discomfort. Chronic pain treatments are quite diverse, just like the causes. From CBT to lifestyle changes, there are many approaches to treat this condition. However, when it comes to managing chronic pain, you need to look at a combination of treatments instead of an isolated solution. It is known that a combination of effective treatments has a better chance of providing relief. 

• Acupuncture and acupressure: For some individuals, these interventions can help improve mobility. 
• Alternative and complementary nutraceutical practices: This treatment can be approached along with medical interventions under the expert guidance of a medical professional. 
• Psychotherapy: Individuals with chronic pain are likely to develop major stress and depression. The utilization of psychotherapies such as CBT with medications can be highly helpful to eliminate this portion of chronic pain syndrome. 
• Injections or local surgical interventions: A doctor may prescribe injections to address the pain. In severe cases when the pain is not treatable with medications and other therapies, surgery is done to eliminate the cause of pain. 
• Lifestyle modifications: Exercise, weight loss, proper sleeping habits, a healthy diet, yoga, meditation, and stress-relieving practices can all play into chronic pain intervention.

Self-management

Doctors will prescribe self-management techniques to patients experiencing chronic pain because they need to think, act and do well in life in spite of their pain and become an active, healthy, and involved member of the society. Improving communication with healthcare providers is found to be useful in self-management of chronic pain.

Why Cadabams?

At Cadabams, we ensure that you, and your loved ones, get the treatment you need and deserve. Our team of healthcare physicians is an expert in psychosocial rehabilitation, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), stress management practices that have proven to be highly effective in helping you get rid of the signs of chronic pain. Our multispecialty team of psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, physicians work round the clock and are with you every step of the way. 

Cadabams is a comfortable facility where individuals are treated with attention, love, care, and concern. 

Call us on our mental health helpline +91 96111 94949 for further details. 

Disclaimer – We strive to treat our patients with dignity and the utmost sensitivity. We understand that chronic pain can be dreaded and requires immediate support from healthcare. We do not use any term in a derogatory fashion to make you feel weak at any stage of the treatment. In case you or a loved one share a unique viewpoint on how we can improve this content for our readers, please reach out to us at info@cadabams.org

FAQs

Q1: How do I know if my pain is acute or chronic?

Ans: Acute pain arises quickly and goes away, but if you have pain for more than 12 weeks then it is classified as chronic pain. 

Q2: What is the best treatment for chronic pain management?

Ans: Depending upon your health and the location of the pain, your healthcare may offer treatments like psychotherapy, medication, lifestyle changes, social support, and surgery for more severe cases.