Pain Management

Scott Meyers asked:


Pain is something we all deal with during our life times. It could be the pain of childbirth or the pain of a toothache. Breaking a leg, suffering from cancer, migraines … all are forms of pain. Pain interrupts sleep, causes fatigue, depression, irritability, work problems and loss of physical and social pleasure.

Talking with your doctor is the best way to learn how you can control the pain you are experiencing. Medications can work as well as meditation and other activities to help you gain the upper hand and control your pain.

There are a number of ways including medication, as listed above, that can help you. You just have to decide for yourself, along with the support of your doctor, what would work best for your lifestyle and level of pain. And speaking of pain level, knowing where you stand on a particular tolerance level can help your doctor come up with a pain management plan that would be best for you. For the most part, a doctor uses a scale from zero to ten. Zero means that there is no pain at all and ten is pain at its worst.

Prescribed Medication for Pain

There is an extensive variety of medications that are used to deal with pain. Some drugs are safe and effective when monitored and taken as prescribed. However, some people hesitate to accept pain medication for fear that they will become addicted. Yes, some pain medications can cause an addiction; however, this usually occurs when you take it improperly such as crushing and snorting it or over-medicating yourself.

Other Forms of Pain Management

Sometimes, pain can bring a plethora of other problems such as anxiety, depression, nervousness and fear. These things can lower your threshold to pain. However, by adopting some activities such as exercise, you can reduce your stress levels and increase your tolerance to pain. Here are a few other examples that may help:

1. Join a support group. Knowing that other people are in the same boat means you are not alone.

2. Practice meditation and other relaxation techniques like deep breathing and yoga.

3. Counseling and even hypnosis can help you deal with the pain as well.

4. Massage, acupuncture and chiropractic care may be beneficial as well in dealing with pain.

5. Herbal remedies may help or at least calm the severity of your pain.

6. Imagery and aromatherapy are other alternatives which might distract you from pain.

Before starting an alternative form of pain management, you should work with your doctor to ensure that it is safe for you. How long you have had the pain, when it started, and where it hurts are all part of creating an effective pain management plan.

The most important thing you can do is be proactive in your pain management efforts. Only when you take charge instead of being a passive participant can you find any true relief.



IRVING

Steven Magill asked:


Copyright (c) 2008 Steven Magill

Chronic pain, especially in the back and in the head, plagues a large percent of the populace. This painful condition might be traced back to an injury or to a disease. Whatever the cause, the anguish that it brings can make one do almost anything to have relief and comfort.

Individuals suffering from this recurring malady usually consult medical doctors for ways of alleviating the agonizing pain that they feel. They often go through a procedure which includes a series of tests to establish the reason of the painful condition and of course the prescription of medications to be taken by the patient. Most of the medications prescribed can do wonders in blocking the pain. Unfortunately, these medications also have ensuing side effects. The consequences can be in the form of damages in the organs like liver and kidneys, or it can be an addiction to the medication. Anti-pain medications such as Vicodin help alleviate the distressing condition of the patient but it is also prone to abuse. An individual can become dependent on these anti-pain medications which make matters worse. This spurred doctors to endorse a combination of medication and the use of physiotherapy to counteract the problem of how to cope with pain.

This has brought forth a growth of pain management clinics. An option has been given to chronic pain sufferers. Physiotherapy offers alternative ways to manage pain and patients are given a choice to cope with the situation without the after-effects of anti-pain medications.

Physiotherapy methods employed in pain management are quite varied but the education component is always included. Patients are not only introduced to techniques to handle pain but also on how to prevent pain through some changes in one’s lifestyle. Most people afflicted with chronic pain, excluding those whose conditions are results of injuries and disease, may blame their situation to inactivity, stress or poor posture. Thus, a modification may be done on their diet by incorporating proper nutrition in the education phase of the treatment program. Exercises which will strengthen the body especially the core muscles are also integrated. This will promote good posture which is necessary in averting chronic pain disorders.

Hydrotherapy, another method used in physiotherapy, is a bit easier on the body yet provides the same positive outcome. Whirlpool treatments and hot and cold treatments are very much related to hydrotherapy. These methods are especially good for those patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Ultrasound and electrical stimulation are also effective in alleviating pain certain conditions. The use of myotheraphy may also be of assistance in pain management.

Effective pain management entails a joint effort of the physiotherapist and the patient. Other medical practitioners play integral roles in the pain management program but the physiotherapist works with the patient for a longer period of time. The relief from pain brought about by physiotherapy might not be as immediate as with the intake of any oral medication but the effect is sustained. It does only deal with the symptom but it addresses the cause of the pain.

Thus, the inclusion of physiotherapy in a pain management program provides for a healthier and safer way to cope with chronic pain.



JORGE

Stephen (Steve) Akamine asked:


What is the Benefit of a Diagnostic Based Pain Assessment for treating Chronic Pain with Medical Massage? Medical Massage Therapy, when combined with Diagnostic Testing, as part of a Comprehensive Pain Assessment, can be a highly effective tool for Chronic Pain Management.

Can Medical Massage treat Chronic Pain effectively without a Diagnostic Based Pain Assessment? Without a Diagnostic Testing based Pain Assessment, the Massage Therapist can only guess and make assumptions at what the appropriate Chronic Pain Treatment Plan for a patient should be.

Is the Pain Assessment the same thing as a Diagnosis? Although it uses Diagnostic Testing, a Pain Assessment is not the same thing as a Diagnosis. A diagnosis is made by a Doctor and is used to specifically identify an illness, disease, or medical condition. A Diagnostic Pain Assessment is a compilation of information that is gathered and evaluated in order to derive an appropriate plan of treatment.

Is the same type of Pain Assessment used for all parts of the Body? The same type of Pain Assessment is not used for all parts of the human body. A Lower Back Pain Assessment is not the same as a Shoulder Pain Assessment or a Elbow Pain Assessment, but a Fibromyalgia Pain Assessment can consist of all of the above.

What kind of Information is used in the Pain Assessment? The assessment information that is used to develop a treatment plan includes the patient’s Pain Scale, their Medical History, an objective observation of symptoms, biomechanical (analysis of posture, and body locomotion) diagnostic testing, and palpation (analyzing soft tissue by feel).

What is a Pain Scale? The Pain Scale is defined as the amount of pain that a person is experiencing in a specific part of the person’s body on a scale of 0 to 10, where zero is no pain, and 10 is un bearable pain. 1-4= functional, 5-7=extreme discomfort and difficulty with functionality, 8-9=pain so great that the person is bed-ridden. As part of the Assessment, the patient is given pictures of the human body and is asked to list the specific pain levels on the pictures that give the representation of the patient’s pain.

Why is Medical History so important? It is very important for the patient to reveal their Medical History because it helps the health practitioner to better understand the historical factors effecting a person’s pain, such as the medications that the person is taking, the time of day when the pain is at its worst, what forms of treatment has helped the patient, and what forms of treatment have not helped the patient.

How does Observation help the Assessment? Observation of a patient’s symptoms may involve a Postural Analysis, to determine if a patient has good posture or bad posture as a possible source of their pain and will help to improve posture where improvement can be made. An externally rotated foot can indicate a leg length difference that could have a factor on Lower Back Pain. Forward Shoulder rotation can reveal posterior Shoulder Pain as well as Thoracic Back Pain. A Gait Analysis can reveal a limp or favoritism of a limb.

What is Biomechanical Testing? Biomechanical Testing involves the analysis of body motion and movement within identifiable specific planes of that motion and movement. This could involve AROM-Active Range of Motion, PROM-Passive range of Motion, Resistive and other special tests that could possibly help to uncover the source of a person’s pain.

What is Palpation and what does it involve? Palpation is the analysis of soft tissue by feel and is an important part of the information gathering process. Texture, temperature, and tone are important factors that let the practitioner know the health of the soft tissues that are involved with a person’s chronic pain. The Joint Mobility Test is a critically important diagnostic Palpation test that is used to determine whether or not the spinal column is a chronic pain syndrome contributor.

A Diagnostic Based Pain Assessment enables a systematic approach to Chronic Pain Management. An organized Diagnostic based Pain Assessment is the first critical and mandatory step in systematically developing a divide and conquer treatment strategy for the reduction and possible elimination of chronic pain. It is one of the factors that determines the ability and skill of clinical and medical massage therapists to provide patients with new hope, strategies and tactics in the battle against chronic pain.



MORRIS

bodmodangel asked:


I feel like my doctor has done all he can do and my RSD is flaring up again after another knee surgery. I know I signed an agreement with them that I wouldn’t see 2 doctors at the same time, but can’t I at least talk to another pain doctor? I just want to talk to them, he is rxing me medication at the moment that is working good enough.
But, I don’t want to be on medication my whole life, so I wanted to get a second opinion. Is this allowed??

STUART

chocolatecake asked:


I’m scheduled to have VATS surgery on my lung (bullectomy and pleurodesis) and on my diaphragm, and I think it will be a lot of pain, not to mention the chest tubes. So I’d really like to know how effective pain management is. Is it given intravenously, through epidural or through oral medication?

RAFAEL

Carlos asked:


i live in portugal and doctors dont prescribe it here, although i always can buy it illegaly… so i would like to know if it really helps with pain…Thank you

EVAN

?Orion’s Mommy? asked:


I’ve been to a pain management doctor for my scoliosis and the first visit he put me in a physical therapy program and gave me a script for some patches. The PT made my back worse if it did anything at all and the patches dont work. He said I was too young for pain killers but I need them badly. Whats the next step? if the pt and patches didnt work will he reconsider pain killers?

TED

Andy West asked:


As an alternative or supportive type of treatment, magnetic therapy is relatively old and well documented. In fact Queen Elizabeth the 1st, used magnetic therapy in the early 16th century. Others, such as the Austrians, the ancient Greeks and even early American researchers, physicians and scientists have all experimented with the healing powers and their effect on the body. Also known as magnotherapy, it is comprised of placing one or more small, strong and very thin magnets over different parts of the body to help in pain management and useful in aiding in body discomfort.

This therapy was adapted based on the theory that there is a magnetic field within the human body and in fact is present in each and every cell within the body. This alternative approach works to stabilize or support the cell walls and prevent leakage of fluids, resulting in less pain, inflammation and subsequent irritation and discomfort. At a cellular level the magnets work to block sodium and calcium movement through the cell membrane, which is the main culprit for triggering pain impulses. Basically they switch off the problem at the cellular level that is signaling that there is pain, preventing this information from getting to your brain.

It is not designed to specifically treat a medical condition; rather it is used to assist in the management of pain while other holistic, alternative or traditional types of medical treatments are completed. Since there are no drugs or changes to the body’s natural chemical composition, it is safe to use as an accompaniment with any type of drug. Since it does use magnets some individuals, especially those with pacemakers, neurostimulators, or other types of very sensitive electronic components, need to carefully check with their doctor before using this type of treatment. Pregnant women also need to check with their doctors before utilizing it’s healing powers.

Using magnets in treating different types of pain throughout the body is a real science and is not as simple as just sticking them on different body parts. Researchers have determined where they should be placed to provide the best possible reduction of different types of pain and discomfort. Just a few of the common pains treated with therapy include conditions such as tennis elbow, lower back, hip and leg pain, jaw pain, neck and shoulder pain and knee and foot pain. In addition, tenderness associated with menstrual cycles and migraines can often be very effectively managed, without the need for other prescription medications.

One of the amazing features is that it starts to work very shortly after they are placed in the correct location. Many people report that the soreness begins to noticeably decrease within literally two to three minutes of usage. While others may require slightly more time, perhaps up to ten to fifteen minutes, the full effect will be felt. Usually if the patient doesn’t feel any noticeable improvement it is because they are not correctly positioned. A bit of adjusting and testing is all that is needed to start seeing the benefits.

Those used in magnetic therapy are placed in a specific configuration to provide maximum gradient between the corresponding magnets. This gradient is what actually produces the benefit, so each one doesn’t have to work alone. Different patterns of placement work better for specific areas and types of pain. They attach to the skin with double sided tape that is easy to apply and remove. They are used as necessary with some individuals using them only for brief periods throughout the day when needed while others with more chronic types of pain may choose to wear them throughout the entire day or night. Whichever is your choice, you will soon start to feel better with this holistic and alternative approach to pain management.



RUSSEL

kathy asked:


doctors even though they tell them they are currently seeing one and have a contract with him/her stating that they are not receiving any pain medication from any other doctor?

Has anyone had this experience or knows of someone who has?

Thank you for your answers.

ROBERTO

Deborah Z asked:


What drugs are available when Methadone ceases to be effective? Is surgery the only option left when it concerns degenertive disc disorder? If surgery is indeed the answer, if so how effective has it been?

BERNARDO