Better Habits, Better Health: Living with Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts more than 12 weeks despite treatment or medication. Chronic pain looks different for everyone. For some the journey begins in childhood; for others; it begins later in life. Both paths are equally valid and real.

Chronic pain is very common. At any point, an overactive nervous system can hit its tipping point and begin the cycle of chronic symptoms, whether the symptoms begin with an injury or underlying issue or simply come out of the blue. The nervous system is exceptionally plastic, which means it can pick up habits easily. The more the nervous system “practices” activating a certain symptom, the easier it becomes to activate it again and again.

As pain becomes chronic, many people experience a sensitivity adjustment. The brain becomes more and more protective, detecting danger and triggering a pain response even when no danger is present. Chronic pain doesn’t just affect the brain, it can impact every aspect of your life.

There are many options for dealing with chronic pains:

• Mind-Body Techniques: These techniques, which include meditation, mindfulness and breathing exercises (among many others), help you restore a sense of control over your body and turn down the “fight or flight” response, which can worsen chronic muscle tension and pain.
• Exercise: Physical activity plays a crucial role in interrupting the “vicious cycle” of pain and reduced mobility found in some chronic conditions such as arthritis and fibromyalgia.
• Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy: These two specialties can be among your staunchest allies in the first against pain. Physical therapists guide you through a series of exercises designed to preserve or improve your strength and mobility. Occupational therapists help you learn to perform a range of daily activities in a way that doesn’t aggravate your pain.
• Cold and Heat: These two tried-and-true methods are still the cornerstone of relieving pain for certain kinds of injuries. If a homemade hot or cold pack doesn’t do the trick, try asking a physical therapist or chiropractor for their versions of these treatments, which can penetrate deeper into the muscle and tissue.
• Medications: An antidepressant may be considered even in the absence of a diagnosis of depression as they can help with sleep, quality of life and psychological distress.

For people with chronic pain, there is little evidence that narcotic pain medication can make any difference to a person’s quality of life. However, they can cause harm, including the risk of side effects and possible addiction.

The root of chronic pain is often a complex one, and understandably, people with chronic pain often expect a clear diagnosis and effective treatment. Its complexity, and the fact that doctors find chronic pain very challenging to manage, means this is often not possible. But there are things you can do to break the cycle. With appropriate assessment, careful drug choice, exercise programs, psychological therapies and consideration of acupuncture, the outcomes of people with chronic pain continue to improve.

This information is brought to you by Lockton Nurse Advocate. Learn more about CPC’s nurse advocate program on the CPC website.