Management of Chronic Pain
Fundamentally, pain is a subjective experience. Whenever we experience pain there are always many factors that contribute to the pain we feel, not only the actual tissue damage.
Let’s think of an example of stubbing your toe – ouch!
If this event happens when you’re enjoying a relaxing holiday, looking at an amazing view and you drop your ice cream; you may feel a little silly about it, as well as sad about your ice cream but you can continue with your day on holiday without experiencing much pain.
Now let’s think about it in this way…
What about if you stub your toe while you’re rushing out the door to an important meeting that you are already feeling anxious about. You’ve had a bad night sleep as your child is unwell, and as you stub your toe, you spill hot coffee on yourself.
Your pain experience in this situation will most likely be very different, despite having the same amount of tissue damage to your toe. Your mood, tiredness and environment, as well as the consequences are some of the factors that affect and individualize every pain experience.
This is true for all of us. Pain perception becomes more of a problem for people who suffer with pain for a long time. People who suffer with long term or chronic pain typically consult many health professionals searching for answers and reasons to explain their ongoing pain. This can get them upset and usually very frustrated, as often countless tests do not give them an answer, even though the pain experience has a major impact on many aspects of their lives.
Chronic pain management is a holistic approach to managing pain, by understanding the changes within your body and nervous system. We can then use this knowledge to make positive changes to your life through goal setting, exercise, and relaxation skills to name a few. It is crucial to empower patients to take control and improve their quality of life.
If you are suffering with persistent or chronic pain, please call or WhatsApp the clinic on 0504233302 and book an appointment with Phillipa.
