Managing Chronic Pain

It's Possible to Get Relief

For millions of people in the U.S., pain is a daily part of their lives. Many have learned to deal with it on their own, thinking the only way is to get used to having pain for the rest of their lives. This is a tragedy; few things are worse than feeling miserable and in pain all the time, for whatever reason. The caring staff at miVIP have the resources to be able to help.

About one in five people suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain, with about a third of the population in enough pain that it affects their ability to work and perform everyday activities. Whether your chronic pain stems from an illness, a medical condition, or an old injury, there are a variety of effective treatments available today that may not have been in use several years ago. New treatments are also being developed every day. Today, chronic pain sufferers can have hope that their symptoms may be relieved or even eliminated.

Common Causes of Chronic Pain

Whether mild and inconvenient, or severe and incapacitating, chronic pain symptoms take a toll on sufferers both physically and mentally. The most common types of constant pain include:

• Joint pain
• Neck and back pain
• Headaches or sinus pain
• Arthritis pain
• Generalized muscle and nerve pain
• Pain from an injury or repetitive movement

For many people, their pain began with an injury or illness, although some can suffer from long-term medical conditions or even unknown sources.

Frustrating and Debilitating Chronic Pain Symptoms

Even mild to moderate chronic pain can eventually have a negative effect on the body, to the point of interfering with the body's ability to produce natural painkillers, and to get decent rest. Constant pain can result in stress, anger, anxiety, and depression, in addition to the physical symptoms a patient feels every day. Pain may also suppress the immune system after time.

Treating Chronic Pain

Many patients attempt to relieve their pain with over-the-counter or prescription painkillers. While sometimes effective, reliance on pain pills can be habit-forming, and often don't address the underlying cause of the pain. Your doctor should attempt to get to the source of the problem, and take the treatment options from there.

Other methods of treating pain, especially spinal and nerve pain, include nerve blocking injections such as epidurals. This minimally-invasive method can be effective for several weeks.

Non-conventional methods of controlling pain include acupuncture, emotional therapy, hypnosis, and massage. Many pain sufferers have reported experiencing relief with one or more of these methods.

The best way to start treating your chronic pain is to visit your doctor and discuss your treatment options. Depending on your condition, there may be a number of effective treatments available to you. Nobody should have to suffer from pain all the time. Give the pain management specialists at miVIP a call at 855-496-4847 to find out how we can help.