Chronic pain is a common yet poorly understood medical condition. It is a pain that persists beyond the average pain level felt after an injury or surgery. Some people suffer from chronic pain while others do not. People who suffer from chronic pain often feel it in various parts of their bodies. It can be sharp or dull but is usually constant. It can be triggered by multiple factors such as stress, injury, or even a minor change in the body. With so much confusion surrounding chronic pain and its underlying causes, it’s essential to understand better what this condition is and what it isn’t. This article will explore the characteristics of chronic pain, its possible causes, and how to manage it.
What is chronic pain?
Chronic pain is pain that persists longer than 6 months after an injury or surgery or even for no reason at all in the case of Fibromyalgia. Several different factors can cause chronic pain. For example, a broken bone might hurt for several weeks, but a broken back might hurt for the rest of a person’s life. But despite their differences, chronic pain and acute pain both result from pain signals getting sent to the brain, except in chronic pain, it is thought the pathways become confused resulting in pain signals being sent even in the absence of anything causing the pain. This leads to chronic pain being mislabeled as a mental health condition.
How does a person get relief from chronic pain?
It is thought that around 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain in some way, and 20 million are affected so severely that they are unable to carry out typical day-to-day functions.
Chronic pain is usually very difficult to live with, but there are ways to cope with it.
- Accept that it is a part of your life and adjust to it. This is the only way you can deal with it. With enough practice, you will identify what triggers your pain, and you will learn to deal with it before it becomes too unbearable.
- Be patient. The condition may not improve overnight. It may take several months or even years to see any improvement.
- Be prepared for some pain medications to work for you and others to work against you. Certain pain medications work quickly, while others take a little longer. Once you identify the ones that work for you, you can avoid ones that don’t.
- Advocate for yourself. If you have a chronic pain condition, it is essential to let your doctor, specialist, family, and friends know what you are going through. They may not have experienced the same pain you are feeling and therefore may not understand what you are going through.
Ways to manage chronic pain
There is no single way to manage chronic pain since it is different for each person and depends on its cause. Even if treatments work for one person, they may not work for another. However, some general guidelines can help you get through your day and feel less pain.
There are many ways to manage chronic pain, including:
Self-management: Learning to better understand your body and how it responds to pain is a crucial part of self-management. Understanding what your body is feeling, how long it lasts, and how to get it under control is vital. –
Stress reduction: Stress has been shown to play a role in pain and chronic pain. Reducing stress through mindfulness, yoga, or other relaxation techniques can help you relax and feel less pain.
Medical treatment: This includes taking painkillers only when prescribed, exploring other treatment options such as speaking to CannabisMD TeleMed’s marijuana doctor, and making lifestyle changes to avoid pain and injury.