All You Need to Know About Pain Management
Pain! It isn’t just about growing discomfort. It can affect the way you feel, your physical and mental health. Pain is usually the most the common reason or symptom to visit your doctor or the hospital. The extent of pain can help your doctor determine your overall health and identifying the source of pain well in time can help you overcome it faster with less complex treatments.
Pain Management
Pain leads to secondary effects leading to a vicious cycle of anxiety, depression, poor sleep, poor appetite, loss of weight leading to poor immunity and infections and overall, a poor quality of life which sometimes, could prove fatal.
Pain Management is a combination of therapies and medications to treat pain. It allows you to heal, rest and return to your normal day to day activities and improve your overall health by helping you restore your energy, appetite, sleep and mood.
Diagnosing Pain – Pain Specialists
Pain Management is an expertise of pain specialists who undergo specific training to understand your anatomy, body physiology, etio-pathogenesis of the symptoms. They investigate your symptoms using MRI scans and blood works to identify the cause or source of pain.
Pain doctors act as your gateway, guide and focal point for your pain management and could be your single point of contact to coordinate your pain management plan. They practice the latest and advanced evidence-based medicine that can help you recover at the earliest with least impact of pain on your life.
On identifying the cause or source of pain, the pain specialists formulate a multi-disciplinary pain management plan that can include Pain killer medications, Physiotherapy, Yoga, Lifestyle changes, Acupuncture, Psychological therapy, Occupational adjustments among many others.
Pain Management Clinics
Pain management clinics are healthcare facilities that specially deal with the diagnosis and management of chronic pain, such as hip pain, joint pain, and back pain. There are mostly two types of pain management clinics, those that deal with specific issues, and those that look at the entire person. These clinics have numerous medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, physical therapists, nutritionists, and psychologists. Apart from prescribing medication, such clinics can help you deal with pain through behavioural, psychological, and physical therapies. These often include cognitive behavioural therapy, massage, acupuncture, meditation, and biofeedback. The goal of these pain management clinics is to reduce your pain and improve your quality of life. Opting for treatment at such a clinic can equip you with the skills needed to manage chronic pain and help you function during your day-to-day life. It enables you to improve the various aspects of life by helping you manage any disabilities and distress that may come with your chronic pain.
Interventional Pain Management
Interventional pain management or interventional pain medicine is a medical subspecialty that treats pain with invasive interventions. Interventional pain management uses injections of specific pain management drugs to reduce pain. Besides its therapeutic benefit, interventional pain management can play a role in identifying the source of the pain.
The Best Way to Stop Pain
Pain can be managed, controlled or stopped depending on the type of pain, its localisation, occurrence, and health condition of a patient.
Responding to Physical Pain
Did you know that resisting chronic pain can add to stress and worsen it? Focus on healthy coping mechanisms like healthy food, regular exercise, healthy sleep patterns and cognitive behaviour techniques to manage pain. Mediation and mindfulness help you feel calm and improve your mood, thereby releasing endorphins that help decrease pain.
Living with Chronic Pain
If you thought living with chronic pain was impossible, think again. While it seem like a herculean task, you can work towards achieving it with the right treatment options and support.