BetterHealthKare

Do you suffer From Chronic Pain?

One study in a community clinic found more than one in three adult appointments involved patients with chronic pain. Treating chronic pain can be frustrating for patients and physicians for several reasons:

  1. Causes can be difficult to pin down — is it muscle, nerves, bones?
  1. Depression often complicates chronic pain.
  1. Drug treatments have all-too-common side effects — ulcers, liver or kidney damage, drowsiness, depression, and/or addiction.
  1. Patients have trouble following exercise and relaxation techniques.
  1. Chronic pain patients often see multiple doctors.
  1. Half of all chronic pain patients take more than one year to get their pain under control.

 

What can you do to control chronic pain?

  1. Seek treatment.
  1. Ask your doctor about the most likely cause of your pain.
  1. Ask about treatment alternatives, their benefits and risks.
  1. Ask if you should also be treated for depression.
  1. Follow through on your treatment(s), and return if they don’t work or cause problems.
  1. If you become discouraged after multiple treatments, ask your doctor about referral to a pain specialist. Chronic pain can be frustrating, but it can also be controlled with persistence and a partnership with your doctor.