Living with Chronic Pain can impact the quality of your life in many ways. Stress can make it even worse.
Here is Chronic Pain 101 + 3 Pain Management Tools you can start on your own today.
Pain hurts. At best it’s unpleasant, at worst it disrupts your quality of life. Did you know 1 in 5 Canadians lives with chronic pain? And the number in the US is estimated at 30 million people.
Chronic pain can impact all areas of a person’s life, mind, body and spirit. It often challenges those who have it to continue to find pleasure and meaning in their lives.
What’s the difference between acute pain and chronic pain?
According to The Canadian Institute for the Relief of Pain and Disability (CIRPD), acute pain, like breaking an arm, is a normal reaction to an injury. It doesn’t last long and tends to clear up approximately 3 months after the injury. It’s unpleasant, but the pain dissipates.
Others aren’t as lucky. People with chronic pain deal with it well beyond the 3 month period, often for a lifetime and it can be extremely disruptive to their lives and to the quality of their lives.
There are different types of chronic pain.
According to the CIRPD, there are 2 major types of pain:
- Musculoskeletal: This type of pain affects the musculoskeletal system: bones, muscles ligaments & tendons. Musculoskeletal pain can be from a result of sports or occupational injuries, motor vehicle accidents, or chronic diseases like arthritis.
- Neuropathic Pain: This is complicated. And there is not always an apparent reason for this type of pain. It can result from tissue damage, injured or malfunctioning nerves and more. Symptoms can range from tingling sensations on the skin, numbness, itching, aching and even burning.
Impact of Chronic Pain
There are many symptoms and impacts of chronic pain.
The ones I hear the most about are:
- Isolation: It can be very difficult to keep up with friends and family. They can lose interest too, and caregivers can get worn down.
- Loss of Abilities: You may still have interest in activities or hobbies, you just aren’t able to do them whether it’s due to injury, energy or maybe ability to focus.
- You’re just not yourself: You push through the pain, but you are constantly drained. You react to things you wouldn’t normally, like snapping at your spouse, your children or being irritable at work. Over time, you may even get run down and start to experience symptoms of depression.
There are many more symptoms and tell-tale signs that the chronic pain has the upper hand.
The good news is there are many effective treatments that can help manage or reduce chronic pain.
I will explain some of the more effective treatments below. People generally find a combination of treatments to be most effective. Many involve working with professionals, especially for in-depth, long-term solutions. But some you can try on your own. I have included 3 tips at the bottom to get you started today.
The good news is there are many effective treatments that can help manage or reduce chronic pain.
I will explain some of the more effective treatments below. People generally find a combination of treatments to be most effective. Many involve working with professionals, especially for in-depth, long-term solutions. But some you can try on your own. I have included 3 tips at the bottom to get you started today.
- Stress Management and Relaxation The Mayo Clinic explains that stress and pain have a pronounced effect on each other. They exacerbate each other. When a person is in pain, the typical stress of daily life can become much more difficult, often turning common hassles into major obstacles. Stress can also impact pain. The physical reactions to stress such as increased muscle tension can significantly intensify pain. In short, pain causes stress, and stress intensifies pain.The Mayo Clinic provides stress management training in their Pain & Rehabilitation Program utilizing coping strategies to break the pain-stress cycle.
Stress Management Simplified:
- Taking control of stressful situations can modify the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response to stress.
- There are many coping strategies that fall under the ‘stress management’ header. Just to name a couple out of the many, deep breathing (see below) and relaxation techniques including meditation and progressive relaxation.
- One of the most common coping strategies for managing stress is relaxation. Relaxation reduces muscle tension, reduces anxiety, increases self-control and allows a person to feel refreshed and rejuvenated. When I work with my clients, I present a number of different forms of relaxation to ensure they find one(s) that work best for them.
- Biofeedback is an extremely effective tool that can fast track breaking the pain–stress cycle, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is a tool that is used to measure and increase the users (that’s you) awareness of their own physical processes such as breathing rate, heart rate, and muscle tension. Biofeedback then aids the client in learning how to increase control over their processes and strengthens their ability to maintain control while engaged in daily activities. This is just one more tool to increase control over your life and pain. It’s surprisingly affordable and easy to learn and use. I utilize this with great success in my practice. It can change the quality of my client’s lives quickly.
- Authorities like the CIRPD, the Mayo Clinic and WebMD recommend Talk Therapy. For good reason – it’s effective. Some people with pain are hesitant to seek help from a counsellor or therapist – they might think it looks like the pain is ‘in their head’ and not real – this is simply not true at all. Therapists can help you tackle and come to grips with the impact your pain has had on your life, and to work through practical solutions to the issues and problems you face each day.
- Using a Multi-Disciplinary approach for pain and coping skills is highly effective. With a team approach, both the pain, and any surrounding issues, can be addressed. Both the physical and mental well-being are being monitored closely by more than one professional. It could be a number of combinations including your Doctor, physiotherapist, and biofeedback specialist. The team communicates with each other and makes recommendations to your treatment plan. There is tremendous benefit to this approach.
- Sleep is significant. Pain (and stress) can directly influence the quality and the quantity of sleep you get. The National Sleep Foundations states 62% of chronic pain patients report disrupted sleep. Proper sleep helps us cope better throughout our days, directly impacts how we manage our daily activities and how we interact with people. Learn good sleep hygiene. Talk to your Doctor, it’s important.
3 tips to help you get started today:
- Breathe. I say it a lot, because it works. If you haven’t already checked it out, I include helpful instructions & apps in my free guide. If you haven’t read it, it’s filled with a number of resources to try. It’s a great place to start.
- Relaxation exercises like Tai-Chi or Yoga can be helpful. Trouble getting to a class? Here is a yoga video for stress management from the Mayo Clinic. Try it from your own home, at your own pace.
- Pain Coach The FREE WebMD Pain Coach app allows you to easily monitor and track your pain level on scale of 1 to 10, treatments, mood, and much more. There isn’t an easy fix for chronic pain, but if you know what triggers to avoid and what treatments really work, you can manage your pain more effectively. Get it here.
Even though you might feel more challenged than others,
it’s always possible to improve the quality
and enjoyment of life.
To your health,
About Judy Colpitts
Judy is a Life Coach and Registered Clinical Counsellor with over 30 years experience helping people lead happier, healthier lives.
Connect with Judy
Please note: The information offered on this website is intended to be educational and does not constitute professional medical advice and should not be used as a substitute for medical diagnosis, advice or services. Always consult with your Doctor before making any changes to your health routine.
References:
Comprehensive Pain Rehabilitation Center – Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/documents/mc1459-02-pdf/DOC-20078829
What is Chronic Pain? – The Canadian Institute for the Relief of Pain and Disability. Retrieved from http://www.cirpd.org/painmanagement/chronicpain/pages/default.aspx
