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Chronic Pain Self-Care Tips

 

What is Cronic Pain?

More than 50 million Americans suffer from some form of chronic pain. Chronic pain is different from acute pain. Acute pain results from an injury or illness and generally has an identifiable cause and improves over time. Chronic pain differs in the following ways:

* may or may not have an identifiable cause

* persists over time

* does not go away despite all efforts to cure it

* may increase muscle tension in your body leading to more pain

* can lead to a decrease in regular daily activities

* disrupts home and work life

* can effect mood and relationships with friends and family

A vicious cycle of pain and inactivity can develop. It may feel like chronic pain has taken over your life. It can begin to control what you do and when you do it, keeping you from living life to its fullest. However, there are effective treatments for chronic pain. Though your life may never be the same as before the pain began, you can get back in cotrol and feel better.

Managing your Chronic Pain

Seek appropraite professional care. Chronic pain can be a difficult problem to treat. Switching from one clinician to another in hopes of finding a cure often leads to frustration for both you and your clinician. The treatment of chronic pain generally consists of several methods used in combination, rather than just one method alone. Research shows that strategies such as exercise, relaxation, massage, and changing negative thought patterns can help people cope better with chronic pain. These strategies may be used in addition medication and other treatments.

Self-Care

Relaxation: Exercises such as slow deep breathing, meditation, and guided imagery can help with pain management.

Pace your activities: Break large jobs into smaller tasks. Alternate hard activities with easier ones. Practice relaxation exercises throughout the day.

Exercise: Gentle daily exercise may actually decrease, rather than increase, persistant pain. It strengthens muscles that help you become more mobile and independent. It also may be a pleasant distraction.

Patterns of thinking: Notice your thought patterns. Thoughts can influence your mood, activities, and your pain. By noticing your patterns, you can attempt to change your negative thoughts, such as: I can't enjoy anything because of this pain. Learn to focus more on the positive: Even though I am having pain, I'm enjoying talking with friends.

Distract your self by engaging in pleasant activities: Sometimes watching an entertaining movie, reading a good book, listening to music, or spending time with a friend can be a powerful distraction from the pain.

Massage: Massage can be very beneficial in the relief of chronic pain. As mentioned earlier, chronic pain will increase muscle tension in your body leading to more pain. Also, it can interfere with sleep. Massage does help to reduce muscle tension and improves sleep by changing the biochemistry in your body. Massage helps to release endorphines to help reguvinate a tired body.

Medication:Work with your clinician or treatment team to develop a plan regarding your medication.

Cut down on your use of tobacco, caffine, and other stimulating beverages or herbs (for example: ginseng, ma huang/effedra, guarana, and yerba mata). These stimulants can cause already sore and painful parts of your body to tense and may increase pain. They also can disturb your sleep. Gradually eliminating them may help you feel better.

Treat flair-ups: Flair-ups are common and will pass with time. It is a good idea to plan ahead for pain flair-ups. Develop a list of ideas that work best for you. For example, a relaxation exercise may be helpful. You may also consider ice the first three days and then heat or ice thereafter as helpful.

Recommended Reading

Managing Pain Before It Manages You, by Margaret Caudill, MD, PhD

The Healthy Mind and Healthy Body Handbook, by David S. Sobel, MD & Robert Ornstein, PhD

Mayo Clinic On Chronic Pain, Editor: David W. Swanson, MD

Recommended Audiotapes

Guided Relaxation Exercises, Division of Behavioral Medicine, 110 Francis St., STE. 1A, Boston, MA 02215, Phone: (617)632-9530

Transforming Your Chronic Pain, Jeffery Kane, MD, New Harbinger Publications, Oakland, 1992

For links, go to Contraindications.

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