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Tag: chronic pain

A comprehensive guide on chronic pain, its causes, symptoms, and effective management strategies to improve your quality of life.

  • Cerebral Palsy and Multidisciplinary Pain Management

    Cerebral palsy affects an estimated 800,000 people in the U.S, and 3 out of every 1,000 children. It’s a condition that affects every aspect of the human body, from movement, and muscle tone to developmental brain abnormalities, vision and hearing problems, and seizures. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 10,000 babies per year in the U.S. will develop cerebral palsy, and of these babies, many of them will need specialized physical therapy and pain management doctors throughout their lives.

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    What is Cerebral Palsy?

    Cerebral palsy (CP) is defined by the Mayo Clinic as a disorder of movement, muscle tone, or posture that is caused by injury or abnormal development in the immature brain, most often before birth. Cerebral actually refers to the brain while Palsy refers to the physical aspects of the condition. Though most cases of cerebral palsy develop before birth, CP can be the direct result of a traumatic brain injury at any point in life.

    Symptoms of CP occur in the first few years of life, or soon after a traumatic accident, and only worsen as time goes on. Although symptoms vary greatly, there is rarely a misdiagnosis issue with it comes to CP. The Cerebral or neurological symptoms can include difficulty with vision or hearing, seizures, abnormal pain perceptions, dental problems, and intellectual disabilities. On the Palsy, or physical, sides of things, symptoms include variations in muscle tone, ‘spastic’ or ‘rigid’ muscles, tremors, motor skill delays, favoring one side of the body, difficulty swallowing, difficulty with sucking or eating, delayed speech, and difficulty with precise motions.

    While there are many types of cerebral palsy, the most common is Spastic CP which includes rigid, tight, and spastic muscles, muscles only functioning properly on one side of the body, or severe muscle and movement difficulties so that a wheelchair is required. Other forms of cerebral palsy include Athetoid Dyskinetic, Ataxic, Hypotonic, Congenital, or Erb’s CP.

    What Causes Cerebral Palsy?

    The exact cause of many cases of cerebral palsy can be hard to pinpoint. If CP occurs in an adult, it’s easier to see that a traumatic event or accident has occurred to damage the brain, but before birth, it’s hard for physicians to determine the exact cause of CP.

    Cerebral Palsy is not one disease with a single origin, like chicken pox or measles. It is a group of disorders that are related but probably stem from a number of different causes. When physicians diagnose Cerebral Palsy in an individual child, they look at risk factors, the symptoms, the mother’s and child’s medical history, and the onset of the disorder.

    There are, however, common factors that may lead to the type of brain development issues that can cause CP. These predictors include drugs and alcohol, infection such as rubella, toxoplasmosis, syphilis, or chickenpox, exposure to toxins such as methyl mercury, thyroid problems, lack of oxygen or blood supply, or premature birth.

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    Pain Management for Cerebral Palsy

    Pain management doctors who specialize in pediatrics and special needs have supreme knowledge of the intricacies of cerebral palsy. With this condition comes a different reaction to pain, a different understanding of pain, and pain doctors must be able to communicate to parents and children the aspects of treatment.

    Children with CP understand pain differently than children with normal brain function and physical movement.  Many times, this condition brings with is an extremely sensitive pain threshold. Pain is experienced in a different ways and on different levels, so a pediatric pain doctor must use specific pain assessment to determine exactly where the child’s pain is coming from.

    Children with CP often have prolonged experiences of pain that can keep them in and out of the pain doctor’s office throughout their lives. Nerves and tendons become easily injured to the ‘spastic’ and ‘rigid’ nature of muscles, as well as spasms and seizures that can add extreme pressure to different areas of the body. Joints become easily inflamed and patterns of wear and tear appear quite frequently in areas that are repeatedly spasming.

    Spasticity Pain

    When muscles are tight for great lengths of time, or when the brain cannot control those muscles, spasticity occurs. Spasticity is an imbalance of signals from the central nervous system to the muscles, according to WebMD, and the most common symptom of cerebral palsy. Because the muscles are hard at work at all times of the day and night, there is a great deal of pain associated with spasticity.

    Spinal Pain

    Another form of pain that is quite common to those living with CP is chronic back pain. Because of the many spinal deformities (scoliosis, kyphosis, lordosis) associated with cerebral palsy, upper and lower back pain is seen in many patients. These spinal deformities can make sitting, standing, and walking incredibly uncomfortable and even painful.

    CP Pain Management

    Pain doctors most commonly refer to physical therapists, behavioral therapists, prescription medications, and a neurologist when treating patients with cerebral palsy. By using a multidisciplinary team of medical experts, a pain doctor can treat all aspects of the child’s condition.

    A physician, such as a pediatrician, pediatric neurologist, or pediatric physiatrist, who is trained to help developmentally disabled children. This doctor, who often acts as the leader of the treatment team, integrates the professional advice of all team members into a comprehensive treatment plan, makes sure the plan is implemented properly and follows the child’s progress over a number of years.  – The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

    For more information on cerebral palsy and pain management, contact us today.

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  • Chiropractic care during pregnancy

    The miracle of life, the anticipation of a beautiful baby, and that expectant-mother glow may make pregnancy a magical time of life, but it’s not all a bed of roses. There’s morning sickness, acne, swollen feet, fatigue, and all sorts of aches and pains to deal with. Your physician may be able to help with morning sickness, and a few well-deserved spa days and afternoon naps could help with acne and fatigue. For the sore back that comes from pregnancy, some chiropractic care might help you immensely.

    Chiropractic care while pregnant, if performed by a full-licensed chiropractor, is completely safe.

    There are no known contraindications to chiropractic care during pregnancy. In fact, chiropractors are trained to safely and effectively treat pregnant women. In fact, some researchers suggest that musculoskeletal pain management, such as chiropractic care, ought to become a standard part of obstetric care. Specialized techniques are used to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on the abdomen. Also, specialized tables or equipment might be used. These are also to avoid putting undue pressure on the abdomen.

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    However, few women receive the chiropractic care they need during pregnancy. One study found that 80% of women reported going without treatment for musculoskeletal pain during pregnancy. Also, pain in the first pregnancy has been linked to pain during subsequent pregnancies, so undergoing chiropractic treatment sooner rather than later might have seriously lasting benefits.

    The back aches, leg pain, and loss of balance during pregnancy can be minimized by chiropractic care.

    In preparation for birth, the ligaments in the pelvis lose their rigidity, which can lead to the pelvis becoming unstable. The growing uterus can push and pull the parts of the pelvis and hips into different positions. These changes can both affect pelvic balance and cause low back pain. In fact, thebump.com, a website devoted to all pregnancy-related topics, states:

    “Not only is it safe to visit a chiropractor during your pregnancy, it’s also highly beneficial… Getting regularly adjusted while pregnant is a great way to relieve the added stress on your spine that comes along with the weight gain.”

    In addition to helping you control low back pain, chiropractic adjustment during pregnancy can prevent sciatica. Sciatica is the inflammation of the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back down the back of the legs and to the feet. When this nerve is inflamed or damaged, it causes radiating or shooting pain down the buttock, the back of the leg, and potentially all the way to the foot.

    Some medications that could help with the back and leg pain of pregnancy may be contraindicated during pregnancy. Your physician or OB/GYN should be able to provide medications that are completely safe to take while pregnant, but chiropractic care is a great drug-free pain management option for expectant mothers who prefer to use as few medications as possible. It’s still a good idea to discuss pain, medications, and chiropractic care with your physician or OB/GYN, though.

    Chiropractic care while pregnant might also facilitate better-quality sleep.

    Getting enough sleep is vitally important all the time, including during pregnancy. This is largely because once that new baby comes home, sleep will become a rare thing. However, sleep is important for other reasons, too. Researchers at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) compared the amount of sleep women got late in their pregnancies with their labor times and types of birth. It was found that women who got less than six hours of sleep per night during their final month of pregnancy averaged 29 hours of labor, compared to an average of 17.7 hours of labor for women who slept seven or more hours per night.

    Additionally, it was found that compared to women who reported poor sleep two or less nights per week about three weeks before delivery, women who reported poor sleep three to four nights per week were 4.2 times as likely to need a cesarean delivery. Women who reported poor sleep five or more nights per week were 5.3 times as likely to need a cesarean delivery.

    This means that it’s important to take the time to get a good night’s rest as often as possible while pregnant. If your back hurts, it’s hard to sleep; research has even shown that a pregnant woman’s quality of sleep is closely related to back pain. By undergoing chiropractic care during pregnancy, you can improve your sleep and, by extension, perhaps make sure that your labor experience is a little easier.

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    There are additional ways that chiropractic care during pregnancy can help you have an easier birth.

    When a baby is breech, it’s positioned to come out feet- or bottom-first. The delivery for a breech baby has a higher risk of complications, and most medical professionals recommend a cesarean delivery rather than a vaginal birth. Several options exist to encourage the baby to move into a cephalic (or head-first) position before delivery, and one of these is the Webster Technique. This is a chiropractic adjustment that’s used to encourage the baby to move into the head-first position by correcting the musculoskeletal causes of intrauterine contracture.

    In 2002, the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics published the results of a survey about the effectiveness of the Webster Technique. Chiropractors using the Webster Technique reported an 82% success rate at encouraging the baby to move into a cephalic position. This technique has the added benefit of being medication free, unlike some of the other potential ways to encourage a breech baby to move into a cephalic position.

    Chiropractic care while pregnant might also shorten labor time. Women who received chiropractic care during their first pregnancy will experience a labor time that is, on average, 25% shorter. During subsequent pregnancies with chiropractic care, the time spent in labor is reduced by 31% on average.

    There are several ways to find a chiropractor who can provide care during your pregnancy.

    Your OB/GYN or primary care physician might be able to provide recommendations. A local phone book or a quick online search might also yield results. While all chiropractors are trained to provide care to pregnant women, it’s always a good bet to find someone with experience treating pregnant women. Because of this, consider calling a few different chiropractic offices and enquiring about the practitioners’ experience with pregnant women.

    Additionally, online databases provide a quick, easy way to find chiropractors with specific specialties. The American Chiropractic Association (ACA), for instance, includes a host of specialty options in its search criteria, including obstetrics and the Webster Technique. The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) specializes in providing information about chiropractic care for children, but they also have a search available for Webster Certified Chiropractors.

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  • Does a pain diary work

    It has long been a common recommendation that chronic patients maintain a pain diary. The idea behind a pain diary is simple. Using either an electronic device or a paper journal, pain patients keep track of:

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    The theory behind the recommendation is that doctors and patients can gain a better understanding of certain chronic pain syndromes than they might with simple patient reporting at a visit. Keeping track of pain levels allows a patient to give a more accurate reporting than trying to remember them on the day of the visit, especially if the patient is feeling particularly good or bad on the day they see the doctor. In theory, this allows doctors and patients to identify triggers and potentially avert painful episodes by changing behaviors.

    But there is evidence that pain diaries might actually be making pain worse.

    A small-scale study by the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry found that keeping a pain diary actually lengthened the time of recovery for study participants who were recovering from lower back sprains. For four weeks, 58 patients in the study were divided into two equal groups, one of which was asked to keep a pain diary, documenting pain levels, and one of which did not. When patients were re-assessed at the four-month mark, the differences in the two groups were clear.

    Robert Ferrari, a clinical professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry’s Department of Medicine and a practicing physician in several Edmonton medical clinics explains the results:

    “What we found is that the group who kept the pain diary — even though we didn’t ask them to keep an extensive diary, and even though many of them didn’t keep a complete diary — had a much worse outcome. The self-reported recovery rates were 52% in the group that kept a pain diary and 79% recovery at three months in the group that did not keep a pain diary. That’s a fairly profound effect. There aren’t many things we do to patients in terms of treatment that affect the recovery for a group by 25%.”

    These results are mirrored in study by Luis F. Buenaver, phd, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. This study included 214 patients suffering from jaw and face pain due to temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). This condition can be acute or long-term but is very painful and can lead to sleep disturbances and other painful issues in the neck and upper back.

    Buenaver and his colleagues examined each patient and then distributed questionnaires to ascertain participants’ pain levels, quality of sleep, and emotional response to pain. They were trying to see if patients tended to dwell on pain or exaggerate it. Those patients who did dwell on the pain were unable to shift their focus away from it when winding down for sleep, their pain was rated as much more severe, and patients’ sleep was more disturbed than those patients who did not focus on their pain.

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    So why do pain specialists continue to recommend keeping a pain diary when it seems as if it may make pain worse?

    A pain diary can be a remarkable communication tool for you and your doctor. If you are living with chronic pain that has yet to be diagnosed, keeping a pain diary can help identify triggers or things that make pain worse. Keeping a pain diary can also identify times of day that pain is most prevalent, and it may be helpful in seeking reasonable work accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

    There are many different ways to keep a pain diary. One of the easiest seems to be using apps for tracking chronic pain, widely available for free or a nominal fee for both iphones and Android operating systems. If you choose to keep a pain diary and want to make it positive and forward-thinking, try these four tips:

    1. Add gratitude: Make a list of five things you are grateful for at the end of every day.
    2. Don’t make pain the focus: Think of it more as a daily journal. When pain symptoms are tracked or specifics are added, circle them or highlight in another color for easy reference, but focus more on telling the whole story of the day.
    3. Think outside of the page: Frida Kahlo, a painter who lived her entire life in excruciating pain, often painted her experiences while lying down. Your pain diary doesn’t have to be just words. You can illustrate your day or create a collage. Add photographs or bits of flotsam from your day (e.g., a key you found on a walk, a ticket stub from a movie, or a note from your child).
    4. Make it totally you: You are not your chronic pain. Yes, pain is part of your daily experience, but it does not make up the entire person you are. Use your pain diary as a way to explore your inner self, not just document an experience from one to ten.

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  • Insight Into Chronic Pain

    As far as subjective experiences go, pain can rank at the very top of the list. Pain is something that is as an individual to a person as a fingerprint, and each person experiences pain – even the same pain – differently. At Chronicillness.co Site of United States, our double board-certified pain management doctors empathize with the fact that pain is a profoundly different experience for everyone.

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    One of the main questions pain patients will have is, “how do I know if my pain is chronic?” There are two types of pain, acute pain, and chronic pain. Acute pain is pain that heals within the expected time, such as pain from a sprain or break that heals and lessens over time. Chronic pain can be understood as pain that has lasted longer than the expected time of healing, or pain that has lasted three months or more. Another facet of chronic pain is pain that interferes with the patient’s quality of life, work, school, or other activities. If this is the case, the patient’s pain can therefore be considered chronic, and the pain doctors at Chronicillness.co Site can then implement a treatment plan.

    At Chronicillness.co Site of United States, our pain specialists are committed to providing a multi-disciplinary approach to pain management. This is extremely beneficial for pain patients, especially because of how individualized pain can be. Two patients experiencing the same condition can suffer from completely different symptoms and the severity of those symptoms. Because of this, a multi-disciplinary approach can provide patients with multiple options in pain care. For example, one patient with fibromyalgia may see a significant decrease in her symptoms with a combination of physical therapy and acupuncture, while another patient with fibromyalgia sees the best results from massage therapy and joint injections.

    Though the most common chronic pain condition is low back pain, the pain management specialists at Chronicillness.co Site of United States can treat painful symptoms associated with arthritis, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, knee pain, neck pain, plantar fasciitis, pelvic pain, tennis elbow, migraines, and other painful conditions.

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  • How the brain experiences pain – brain experiences pHow the brain experiences pain

    Pain’s basic purpose is as a warning message for the body: that hurts, so stop it. When pain becomes chronic, though, it can seem utterly senseless, plaguing people for extended periods for no apparent reason. Researchers are constantly studying pain in hopes that a deeper understanding might lead to more effective prevention and treatment of pain.

    Research examines pain responses in infants

    Until recently, it was believed that babies didn’t experience pain in the same way as adults. Indeed, some people suggested that babies’ brains weren’t developed enough to experience pain, as explained in an article from the University of Oxford:

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    “As recently as the 1980s it was common practice for babies to be given neuromuscular blocks but no pain relief medication during surgery. In 2014 a review of neonatal pain management practice in intensive care highlighted that although such infants

    However, the researchers who published this article reevaluated this thinking. Babies, aged between one and six days, were allowed to fall asleep inside a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. The babies were then prodded on the bottom of the foot with a retractable rod. This produced a sensation similar to being prodded by a pencil – not quite painful, but enough to produce visible results in the brain’s pain response areas. Adults were then put through the same test.

    Not only did the babies’ brains display a similar pain response as the adults’ brains, but the results suggested that babies actually have a lower pain threshold than adults. This means that a baby will experience a sensation as pain more quickly than an adult will. This research will likely have far-reaching and profound effects, since it will lead to more babies being given the proper pain relief medications before painful procedures.

    The emotional side of pain 

    Anyone who’s experienced long-lasting or severe pain knows that it can easily elicit an emotional response. Now science has proven this as well. Researchers at the TUM School of Medicine gave painful heat stimuli to participants’ hands. The stimuli varied in intensity. Participants were asked to rate their pain on a scale of one to a hundred.

    After a few minutes, the participants began to experience changes in pain, even when the pain stimulus remained unchanged. The pain sensation became detached from the pain stimulus. This suggests that the pain sensation changed from a perception process to a more emotional process. In fact, the researchers watched the brain activity in participants experiencing longer-lasting pain, and the emotional areas of the brain became active.

    These same researchers conducted another experiment that showed anticipation, as well as duration, can affect pain perception. Participants in this experiment were given painful laser pulses on two areas of the back of the hand. Then the participants rated how strongly they’d perceived the pain stimuli. Creams were then applied to both areas of the back of the hand. Neither cream had pain-relieving properties, but the participants were told that one of the creams had a pain–relieving effect.

    After this, the participants rated the stimuli as significantly lower on the area with the allegedly pain-reliving cream. Not only were the participants’ verbal ratings affected, but the second run of this experiment (using the two creams) triggered a different brain activity pattern.

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    Pain relief may be related to emotions, too

    A study from Ohio State University examined the effects of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. College students viewed photos selected to elicit an emotion response. Each photo was rated on a scale of negative to positive, as well as on a scale of how much of an emotional response it elicited (no emotion to extreme emotion).

    The participants who had taken acetaminophen rated the photos less extremely, compared to participants who had taken placebos. In other words, acetaminophen caused positive photos to be seen in a less positive way, while negative photos were seen in a less negative way. The emotional response was dulled.

    A follow-up study was done, with an added element. Participants were asked to rate how much blue they saw in each photo, in case acetaminophen dulled all perception rather than dulling the emotions. The judgements of how much blue each photo had stayed constant, whether or not participants had taken acetaminophen. This suggests that the drug impacts pain and emotions, but not all perception, giving more credence to the idea that pain and emotion are closely linked.

    The effects of long-term pain on brain function

    York University researchers used eye-tracking technology to see how different people respond to “pain words,” such as ache, agony, distress, and pain. The eye-tracker measures eye-gaze patterns with extreme precision. Professor Joel Katz, Canada Research Chair in Health Psychology and co-author of this study, explained the results, stating:

    “We now know that people with and without chronic pain differ in terms of how, where and when they attend to pain-related words. This is a first step in identifying whether the attentional bias is involved in making pain more intense or more salient to the person in pain.”

    Additionally, scientists from the University of Berne have discovered a neuron modification in a specific area of the brain in mice with chronic pain. This, according to the researchers, is “pain memory.” The presence of this pain memory gave the mice more of an increased number of nerve impulses in these specific cells, which led to an increased pain perception. These researchers found a way to alter the modified pain memory cells in the mice. This makes them hopeful that, eventually, drugs might be developed to create the same change in humans, thereby lowering the increased pain–perception that results from chronic pain.

    As researchers and scientists study pain and its mechanisms, a deeper understanding of pain and its effects will, hopefully, lead to more effective pain management techniques in the future.

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  • Caffeine Energy Drinks and Chronic Pain

    Our United States pain specialists are often confronted with one very prominent question; How can I increase my energy levels even as I live with chronic pain? The easy answer is exercise and a proper diet. The answer that most people want to hear is energy drinks and coffee. With that said, nothing beats maintaining a healthy lifestyle, decreasing toxins, eating right, and exercising to keep energy levels high and stress low. However, energy drinks are all the rage right now, so let’s take a moment to evaluate how detrimental these drinks can be to your already compromised health.

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    Caffeine and Chronic Pain

    While many studies have shown how small amounts of coffee can be beneficial to our bodies in terms of decreasing the overall risk for certain cancers, Parkinson’s, and heart disease, it can also be detrimental for those who already suffer from chronic pain. Caffeine increases stress and tension, two of the main factors for increased pain in many of our United States patients.

    “The effects of coffee drinking are long-lasting and exaggerate the stress response both in terms of the body’s physiological response in blood pressure elevations and stress hormone levels, but it also magnifies a person’s perception of stress” Caffeine’s Effects are Long-Lasting and Compound Stress – Duke Health

    Large amounts of caffeine can also disrupt sleep patterns, something that is crucial to keeping stress, tension, and pain levels low for our chronic pain patients. When the body is allowed to sleep and recover from the day’s events, pain decreases and the immune system is more capable of handling stress. However, when caffeine disrupts sleep patterns, increased pain and stress very possible results.

    Energy Drinks

    Since Red Bull burst onto the market in 1997, energy drinks have been huge. They propose increased energy through supplements like taurine and extreme levels of vitamin B. But what are these supplements and are they even good for you?

    The problem isn’t the taurine, which is naturally found in meats and fish, or the vitamin B, which is also a natural supplement that is found in nearly every food, or the ginseng, which has been found to actually relieve stress. The problem is the massive amounts of caffeine stored within energy drinks. While energy drinks are not regulated as other foods because they are sold as “dietary supplements,” they contain a great deal of caffeine that consumers might not know about. Energy drink companies do a wonderful job of distracting consumers from the caffeine amounts by focusing them on the supplements such as taurine and ginseng; the ‘natural’ energy-producing aspects of the drinks. However, it’s still the caffeine that does the trick:

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    (The caffeine content is in milligrams per serving. Although serving sizes vary, Griffiths contends that most people will drink the entire can, whatever the number of ounces.)

    • Red Bull: 80 milligrams per 8.3-ounce serving
    • Tab Energy: 95 mg per 10.5-oz serving
    • Monster and Rockstar: 160 mg per 16-oz serving
    • No Fear: 174 mg per 16-oz serving
    • Fixx: 500 per 20-oz serving
    • Wired X505: 505 mg per 24-oz serving

    In comparison, according to Griffiths:

    • Brewed coffee: 200 milligrams per 12-oz serving
    • Instant coffee: 140 mg per 12-oz serving
    • Brewed tea: 80 mg per 12-oz serving
    • Mountain Dew: 54 mg per 12 oz. serving
    • Dr. Pepper: 41 mg per 12-oz serving
    • Pepsi Cola: 38 mg per 12-oz serving
    • Coca-Cola Classic: 34.5 mg per 12-oz serving
    • Canned or bottled tea: 20 mg per 12-oz serving

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  • Why Do I Need A Referral To See A Pain Specialist?

    Living with chronic pain is not easy, and when it’s time to seek out a pain specialist who understands the intricacies of chronic pain and the options for treatment, your family physician is your first resource. Most pain clinics require a referral from that family physician in order for the pain clinic to accept you as a patient. Chronicillness.co Site of the United States is no exception. In order to receive award-winning medical treatment from our pain specialists, a referral from your family physician is needed.

    Why do I need a Referral?

    One of the most common questions that we get is “why do I need a referral?” The most common answer is that it’s really up to your insurance company, and to alleviate any insurance discrepancies we ask that patient’s come by referral. Without getting too complicated, referrals depend on whether you have a PPO or an HMO, whether you are using a provider within your network or not, and whether it’s an emergency situation. In any situation where you’d need to see one of our pain specialists, it’s your best bet to get a referral.

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    How do I know if I need a Referral?

    Can’t my family physician just treat the pain? The short answer is yes and no. Your family physician can prescribe over-the-counter medications to help alleviate the pain, but simply alleviating the pain is not diagnosing the problem or treating its source. If you’ve tried pain medication from your physician, and you’ve tried options such as massage and exercise (things that are probably not covered by insurance), and you’re still in pain, it’s time to get that referral to see a pain specialist.

    How do I ask for a Referral?

    Many family physicians have become much like family friends, treating you and your family for generations. So when it comes to asking to seek out a professional that isn’t your physician, sometimes it can be difficult to ask for that referral. And, in some cases, physicians don’t want to give you that referral. Either way, if you have been on pain medication and it’s not working, you must ask for a referral to see a pain specialist. Here are some tips for asking:

    • Discuss with your family physician the amount of pain you’re still in. Let him know that the medication is not working well enough, and you’d like to get to the source of the problem to solve it, not just cover it up with painkillers.
    • Discuss the various treatment options that you’ve already tried with your physician, and ask if he can suggest any others. If he has run out of options, it’s time to see a specialist.
    • Asking for a referral is like ripping off a band-aid. You know it has to be done, but you don’t want to make anyone feel bad.
    • As you ask for your referral, it is also a great time to ask your physician to send a letter to Chronicillness.co Site of United States explaining your medical situation.
    • Finally, check with your insurance to make sure that Chronicillness.co Site is within your network.

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    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

    Click here to Contact us Directly on Inbox

    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

    Click here to Visit Fibromyalgia Store

  • How Accurate is the 1 to 10 Pain Scale?

    Do you have a high pain tolerance? How do you know it’s higher than another patient? One of the most difficult aspects of pain management that our doctors deal with is an individual’s pain tolerance. The infamous one-to-ten pain scale is unscientific, and inaccurate when dealing with individuals who feel pain differently. What might be a two-to-one person might be an eight. Even when the patient explains to the pain doctor the amount of pain they’re in, we’re still stuck as to how much pain they are truly feeling. But all of that might be changing.

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    The Pain Scale

    Pain is subjective and unquantifiable. When you visit the physician for chronic pain symptoms, or perhaps when you’re in labor, your doctor will have you rate your pain on a scale of 1 to 10. When my wife was having our first little one, the nurse said “rate your pain on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the kind of pain you’d feel if you were hit by a truck and then run over twice.” It’s an interesting way to describe pain, but effective.

    The pain scale, though not entirely effective, does make pain measurable for doctors. On your first visit, your pain might be an 8, but on your third visit, your pain might be down to a 3. This tells the pain doctor that they are doing the right things to get you back into life and relieve your pain.

    Pain Scale MRIs

    Recently, scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston were able to “observe changes in blood flow to specific regions of the brain as chronic back pain patients held uncomfortable positions inside the scanner,” according to ABCNews.com. “As the patients’ brains were registering the distressing sensation, the investigators watched blood flow activate or ‘light up’ different regions. They could then measure that blood flow during those painful episodes.” This, many believe, is a huge step to categorically defining the amount of physical pain that a patient is feeling.

    According to Dr. Ajay D. Wasan, an assistant professor of anesthesiology and psychiatry involved in the research study, the “network involved in processing pain” is well understood. The fact that a person’s attention to their pain is a key element in their pain tolerance leads Dr. Wasan to believe that “drugs that might change a person’s ability to pay attention to their pain or be distracted from their pain” might become exceedingly important aspects of pain management down the road.

    https://fibromyalgia-6.creator-spring.com/
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    For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

    Click here to Contact us Directly on Inbox

    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

    Click here to Visit Fibromyalgia Store

  • Diagnosing Fibromyalgia: Past to Present

    The term “fibromyalgia” may be relatively new, but the condition itself has been around for quite a while. After several name changes, a definite set of diagnostic parameters are finally established for fibromyalgia.

    History of fibromyalgia

    The first known mention of fibromyalgia was in the 1800s, but at the time it was simply called “muscular rheumatism.”

    When “muscular rheumatism” was first written about, doctors noted that it caused stiffness, aches, pains, tiredness, and difficulty speaking. In 1824, a doctor in Scotland first described the tender points that characterize fibromyalgia.

    A psychiatrist in the United States described a condition called “neurasthenia” in 1880, which he believed was caused by stress. He ascribed the symptoms of widespread pain, fatigue, and psychological problems to neurasthenia.

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    The term “fibrositis” was introduced in 1904 by Sir William Gowers. “Fibro” refers to the body’s connective tissues. “Itis” indicated inflammation or swelling, so “fibritis” meant inflammation of the connective tissues. In 1913, a physician wrote more about fibritis, describing a worsening of symptoms as air pressure fell and rains came on. He also described temperature variations and fevers.

    In the 1970s, Hugh Smythe described fibritis in papers and medical textbooks. This was the clearest, most cohesive description of the disease and its symptoms so far. The name was changed from “fibritis” to “fibromyalgia” in 1976, since inflammation was no longer believed to be the cause. “Myo” means muscles and “algia” means pain, so “fibromyalgia” means pain in the muscles and connective tissues.

    Certain antidepressants were found to be effective in treating fibromyalgia in 1986. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an article about fibromyalgia in 1987. Also in that year, fibromyalgia was recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA) as a defined disease and cause of illness and disability. The American College of Rheumatology first published diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia in 1990.

    Diagnosing fibromyalgia

    Diagnosing fibromyalgia today is still difficult.

    There is no definitive test for fibromyalgia, so it’s typically a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that a person can only be diagnosed with fibromyalgia when every other possibility has been excluded.

    The Mayo Clinic website explains why diagnosing fibromyalgia is so difficult, stating:

    “Fibromyalgia symptoms include widespread body pain, fatigue, poor sleep and mood problems. But all of these symptoms are common to many other conditions. And because fibromyalgia symptoms can occur alone or along with other conditions, it can take time to tease out which symptom is caused by what problem. To make things even more confusing, fibromyalgia symptoms can come and go over time.”

    Tender points are still used by many specialists during diagnoses. There are 18 potential tender points on the body, and the physician must be able to elicit a response on at least 11 of these tender points. However, knowing precisely where the tender points are and how much pressure to apply can be tricky, so general doctors use a different set of diagnostic criteria.

    The criteria used by general doctors includes:

    • Widespread pain that’s lasted for at least three months
    • Presence of other symptoms, such as fatigue, waking up tired, or trouble thinking (often called “fibro fog”)
    • No other conditions that could be causing the symptoms

    Additionally, some physicians may score patients’ responses to a series of questions to judge the severity of the widespread pain being experienced. For instance, several symptoms are given a score as far as symptom severity. Zero means no problems at all, while three means severe, pervasive, or life-disturbing. Then the scores for all the symptoms are added together. If this score is above a certain level, it’s considered positive for fibromyalgia. This positive result, in addition to other positive results and the absence of any other conditions that could explain the symptoms, will usually lead to a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

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    Fibromyalgia might also be accompanied by symptoms such as:

    Causes of fibromyalgia

    It’s still unclear what causes fibromyalgia.

    Gender, health condition, genetics, and trauma are all thought to play a role in fibromyalgia. However, it’s not known if all or any of these are the actual cause of the condition. It’s only known that these factors play a part in determining an individual’s risk for developing fibromyalgia.

    External triggers, such as viral infection or repetitive strain, and some preexisting conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, may make people more likely to develop fibromyalgia. Depression, post-traumatic stress syndrome, or other mental illnesses are often found in people who have fibromyalgia. Additionally, being overweight, being inactive, or smoking might increase the risk for fibromyalgia. Women are also much more likely to develop fibromyalgia, although men and children can develop the condition, too.

    Studies have been conducted looking at the role of stress in triggering fibromyalgia. Employees in a stressful job environment tended to experience more pain. Also, women who’ve experienced relationships with violent abuse are at an increased risk for fibromyalgia. People who feel as though they have very little support or who had a poor psychological response to pain also seem to be an increased risk for fibromyalgia.

    Even though the cause behind fibromyalgia is still unknown, and diagnosing it remains a challenge, it’s thanks to the collective history of fibromyalgia that we have any understanding of it today. The symptoms and tender points described in the 1820s, the psychological (cognitive) problems acknowledged in the 1880s, and the issues with temperature regulation noted in the early 1900s all helped define the condition as it’s understood today.

    https://fibromyalgia-6.creator-spring.com/
    https://www.teepublic.com/stores/fibromyalgia-store

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    For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

    Click here to Contact us Directly on Inbox

    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

    Click here to Visit Fibromyalgia Store

  • Tips for Tent Camping with Chronic Pain

    Many of our United States pain patients love the outdoors, and the United States is a wonderful place to be over Memorial Day Weekend. Everyone in the valley heads north to escape the start of summer and relax with friends and family. However, if you can’t afford an RV, tent camping can be a seriously daunting aspect of the weekend.

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    • Have the mindset that tent camping will be a breeze because mindset truly plays a large role in how you will feel this weekend.
    • Don’t take on too much. We can’t stress this enough. When it comes to tent camping, setting up the tent and getting it organized should not be one of your priorities. Do not overstress your body. Allow friends and family to do the work as you take on less strenuous tasks.
    • Have a big enough tent to give you room to stand up. Make it as convenient as possible for when you must climb into the tent, change in the tent, or anything else.
    • Place the tent in a shaded area. As we all know, this United States sun can sneak up on you and just a few moments of direct sunlight can truly heat up that tent and make it very uncomfortable.
    • Spend the money on a nice air mattress. United States pain specialists can’t stress this enough. Sleep is paramount, and being able to sleep comfortably while camping can make or break your Memorial Day Weekend. Have enough blankets to keep warm and a comfortable pillow.
    • Maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine. I know, it’s vacation, but that doesn’t mean you should skimp on your healthy lifestyle. One of the biggest downfalls of every patient’s camping trip is their lack of healthy alternatives to camping food. Changing your diet can dramatically affect your chronic pain.
    • Have a comfortable chair available. Whether you enjoy the hammock or a simple fold-up chair, make sure it’s comfortable for long periods of time. You want this weekend to be relaxing and calming, and a comfortable chair will help.
    • Choose a campsite near a bathroom. Once again, we can’t stress this enough. If you began to have a rough episode, walking to a bathroom that’s even 20 feet away can seem like miles.

    Getting outdoors and back into life is paramount for patients living with chronic pain. Breathing in that fresh air, relaxing under those towering pine trees, and listening to the breeze without a care in the world can bring about much-needed calm and peace. The kind of calm and peace that has been known to ease chronic pain. While getting up north for a camping trip might not be your favorite thing to do, consider the benefits of spending time away from the stress of life. Those positives might outweigh the negatives when it comes to camping, whether you have an RV or tent.

    https://fibromyalgia-6.creator-spring.com/
    https://www.teepublic.com/stores/fibromyalgia-store

    Click Here to Visit the Store and find Much More….

    For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

    Click here to Contact us Directly on Inbox

    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

    Click here to Visit Fibromyalgia Store