Managing Pain—14 Things You Should Know
INTRODUCTION
Pain is usually an indication that something is wrong in the body. Think of it as a warning signal which needs to be addressed. While the root cause of said pain isn’t necessarily something that needs an immediate or drastic solution, it’s often impossible to say whether even mild pain is either nothing to worry about or something that could potentially be fatal.
In other words, many serious medical problems can produce only mild pain, if they produce pain at all. People suffering from a stroke, for example, may experience only barely-felt sensations, if they feel anything at all. On the other hand, simple things that can easily be taken care of (i.e., a very mild tooth infection or an in-grown toenail) can cause excruciating and difficult-to-bare pain.
The bottom line is that you don’t have to put up with persistent or difficult-to-ignore pain. In fact, no source of pain, especially if it persists, should ever be ignored. Seeking medical care can not only identify the type and source of pain but can also lead to relief—possibly to permanently resolving the issue.
Beyond seeking relief or a cure for your pain, becoming more proactive about pain in general will in most cases help you feel much better. It isn’t just about being given painkillers but, rather, also about becoming more knowledgeable not only about sources of pain but what should be done, depending on the severity, type and persistence of the pain.
RELIEF-BRINGING PAIN-RELATED FACTS
1. Pain can be highly deceptive and difficult to diagnose; it is often not site-specific. Pain in the jaw, for example, can signify a heart attack.
2. If pain doesn’t respond appropriately to over-the-counter (OTC) anti-inflammatories, drugs, medicated ointments, etc., then maybe it’s time to see your doctor.
3. Is your pain chronic or acute? Immediate pain from getting hit with a bat, for example, is “acute” pain. It is usually short-lived, but even if it lingers on for a while, it should die off at some point.
4. The second type of pain is “chronic.” This is the type of pain that is continuous and persistent and, without major intervention, it’s not likely to go away. A good example is neuropathic pain brought on by diabetes mellitus.
5. Chronic pain can induce disease (other than the disease causing it). It can, for example, be the impetus for anxiety, depression, paranoia, and other mental health issues.
The emotional imbalance it engenders can also be the basis for physical diseases like high blood pressure, weight gain, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This is yet another reason to attend to chronic pain promptly.
6. There are many minimally-invasive, relatively-safe, and affordable pain management modalities, including:
- Acupuncture
- Massage therapy
- Yoga
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Special herbs
- Relaxation exercises & exercise in general
- Aromatherapy
- Hypnosis
- Physical therapy
7. The first thing that should be determined is the source of the pain. This is best done with a physical exam, blood work and medical imaging. This last one (e.g., an X-ray) is indispensable for internal (i.e., a broken bone or a tumor) pain sources.
8. Some of the basic things that need to be determined before treatment is dispensed are:
--a) How intense is the pain?
--b) Where is the pain located?
--c) When did the pain start?
--d) How long has the pain been around?
--e) When is the pain most intense and when is it least bothersome?
--f) Is the pain like anything else you had in the past? and,
--g) Does anything you’ve done give you any relief, even if for short stints?
9. Pain is sometimes determined to be idiopathic; that is, no palpable, verifiable reason can be identified.
10. All available chemical painkillers come with potentially dangerous side-effects and complications. In most cases, the chances for these bad interactions intensify the longer you use the product, the higher the dose and the more frequently you take it. Acetaminophen, for example, can damage the liver over time; Ibuprofen, can negate the benefits of aspirin and damage both the heart and the kidneys.
11. Pain emanating from the nerves can be difficult to pinpoint. A pinched nerve or herniated disc pressing on a nerve imparts pain that appears to be generalized, instead of localized.
12. Although inflammation can serve a useful purpose (such as by helping tissue to heal more quickly), it can also help induce or exacerbate disease. It has, for example, been connected to both cancer and GERD. For these reasons, inflammation should be prevented and treated ASAP.
13. Opioid or opiate medications, although very effective painkillers, can lead to dangerous addictions and other complications. As such, use only when necessary and only under the supervision/guidance of a physician.
14. Acupuncture, once shunned by the medical community, is now recognized as a relatively-safe and often-effective alternative treatment option for osteoarthritis, neck pain, fibromyalgia and low back pain. If looking for a safer alternative to synthetic painkillers, acupuncture may be a viable option for you.
Make sure that you find a practitioner/acupuncturist that is experienced, licensed and NCCAOM-certified to impart these Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments. Some health insurance companies now do cover acupuncture.
CONCLUSION
Unfortunately, feeling pain now and then is a relatively normal phenomenon. It can be the result of sitting or standing for too long, sustaining a sports injury, being involved in an accident, experiencing an attack or assault, accidently biting on something unexpectedly hard, developing some type of verifiable medical problem, etc. In other words, the list of possible etiologies (sources for the pain) can be rather long.
The good news is that pain isn’t necessarily due so something serious—nor does it mean that having pain will require extensive, expensive or invasive medical treatments or procedures. In fact, sometimes eliminating or alleviating the pain can often be as simple as making some lifestyle changes, altering a particular diet or no longer using a specific medication.
The bottom line is that pain should never be ignored. Furthermore, there are many options for treatment that are usually effective in either making the pain go away or, at the very least, helping you feel better.
By all means, seek medical attention, especially if the pain persists, is interfering with your enjoyment of life or is accompanied by other symptoms that just don’t feel right to you. Your goal is to manage pain—as opposed to pain managing you!
Copyright, 2018. Fred Fletcher. All rights reserved.
REFERENCES & RESOURCES
https://www.theacpa.org/pain-management-tools/pain-management-programs/
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/pain-and-pain-management-adults
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