Back in March 2015 I wrote a post about pain catastrophizing. You can read that post by clicking this link, but I will try to explain it to you briefly: Pain catastrophizing simply means that physical pain that is amplified by negative emotions that coincide with the physical pain. Many people might think that this is just part of a personality, that it cannot be changed, etc. etc.
But today I am here to share some good news--that is to say, that some of that factors associated with pain catastrophizing CAN be controlled. In the next paragraph or two, you'll get my drift.
First, let me tell you about an article I read about this topic that was completed at Emory University.
The study authors investigated 300 chronic pain patients at clinics in rural Alabama. The study revealed that a very key factor common to pain catastrophe is low health literacy. These patients simply did not understand much about health and/or medicine, so they had very poor understanding of their health conditions. They most likely felt that they had little to no control over what is/was going on in their own bodies...and that lack of control amplified the physical pain that was overtaking their lives.
That's why I am saying this CAN BE CHANGED! Patients can learn about their own disease process and how to self-manage themselves day in, day out. While some patients may be able to access information and learn on their own, other patients may need the assistance of their health care providers to help them understand these things. In this way, a chronic pain patient can be one of the players on his/her health care team rather than a helpless victim who is left to fend for him/herself.
Sources:PainMedicineNews; EverydayPain Management Ideas; Wikimedia
But today I am here to share some good news--that is to say, that some of that factors associated with pain catastrophizing CAN be controlled. In the next paragraph or two, you'll get my drift.
First, let me tell you about an article I read about this topic that was completed at Emory University.
The study authors investigated 300 chronic pain patients at clinics in rural Alabama. The study revealed that a very key factor common to pain catastrophe is low health literacy. These patients simply did not understand much about health and/or medicine, so they had very poor understanding of their health conditions. They most likely felt that they had little to no control over what is/was going on in their own bodies...and that lack of control amplified the physical pain that was overtaking their lives.
That's why I am saying this CAN BE CHANGED! Patients can learn about their own disease process and how to self-manage themselves day in, day out. While some patients may be able to access information and learn on their own, other patients may need the assistance of their health care providers to help them understand these things. In this way, a chronic pain patient can be one of the players on his/her health care team rather than a helpless victim who is left to fend for him/herself.
Sources:PainMedicineNews; EverydayPain Management Ideas; Wikimedia
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