Everyday pain management ideas

When you suffer from a chronic condition--regardless of what condition that might be, you have to learn how to live within your limitations. At first, this is not so easy. Part of this is denial on your own part; it's hard to admit that things are not quite the way they used to be.  This would be admitting weakness, perhaps? Still other times, other people are the culprit.  When you are home on disability, they may think you are just twiddling your thumbs and need to be doing things to keep yourself busy.  They might be asking you for a favor--running an errand, making phone calls, etc...never stopping to think about the possibility that this is too much for someone who is chronically ill. That is where you have to take ownership of the situation...you have to learn to say no more often. You have to learn to say no to yourself when you have the urge to push through something that's really too much under the circumstances. You have to say no to others sometimes as wel

Chronic pain, sleep quality, and physical activity are interconnected. Understanding the interconnectivity  of these three things can help those who suffer from chronic pain.   According to study authors at the University of Warwick,  "Engaging in physical activity is a key treatment process in pain management. Very often, clinicians would prescribe exercise classes, physiotherapy, walking and cycling programmes as part of the treatment, but who would like to engage in these activities when they feel like a zombie?"argues study lead-author Dr Nicole Tang. Dr Tang and study co-author Dr Adam Sanborn examined the day-to-day association between night-time sleep and daytime physical activity in chronic pain patients. "Many of the patients struggled to stay physically active after the onset of pain and we found that chronic pain patients spontaneously engaged in more physical activity following a better night of sleep". "The researc

As the Christmas holiday draws closer, take some time to think about this.. Many people suffer from chronic pain.  You can't see it by looking at them. There is not always a way to tell how much they are really suffering.  What can you do for those people?  A little compassion goes a long way....it's probably the best gift you can offer them!

Persons who have memory or executive function impairment have increased risk of developing chronic pain after surgery, according to a study published in Brain this past January. According to the authors, 185 persons aged 18 to 85 who were undergoing knee replacement or breast cancer surgery were studied.  The subjects were also assessed for the memory/executive function impairments prior to surgery and for a year following.  Here is a breakdown of the study results: Type of surgery               % reporting significant pain                                                   prior to surgery                    6 months post-op         12 months post-op Knee replacement                      84                                           39                                38 Breast surgery                            0                                             20                                18               The presence of memory impairment an

One of the many things that can cause or worsen chronic pain is inflammation.  In the past I have shared some information about this. There is much information in my past posts about anti-inflammatory diets that help to keep a lid on the inflammatory process in the body. Conversely, there are a number of foods that promote inflammation, and can be responsible for causing an increase in pain levels amongst other things: Alzheimer's disease, heart disease and acne to name a few.  By controlling intake of these foods and eating more of the foods that help tame inflammation, you can do much to improve your health and well being.  Below is a link to some interesting information about this topic.  As you may have guessed, excessive sugar intake is a big culprit, but you might be surprised by some of the other items on the list. 6 inflammation-causing foods no one talks about | Well+Good Sources: Wellandgood.com, wikimedia

Do you ever wish there was someone who understood what it's like to live with chronic pain?  If so, today's post might be just what you are looking for.  Have a look at YourPainCommunity.com . This community is the brain child of Dr. Lynn Webster, a pain management physician. He resides in Salt Lake City, UT. and has a wealth of experience in this field. Have a look around the site; perhaps it is the pot of gold you've been looking for!

A Loyola University study reveals that animal assisted therapy reduced the need for oral pain medication following total joint replacement therapy. The study retrospectively compared a group of subjects who were given AAT as part of treatment vs. a group that did not benefit from such therapy. In conclusion, those who were given animal therapy had a reduced need for medication-- 28 percent less, to be exact! The two groups were similar in composition with respect to age, ethnicity, etc..the only difference was that the AAT group had daily visits with specially trained dogs, for a duration of somewhere between 5 and 15 minutes per visit. The study was published in the August/September issue of Anthrozoos, the official journal of Anthrozoology. Once again, we see that health, healing, and relief from chronic pain can be enhanced by forces aside from traditional medical treatment.  The bond between humans and animals is powerful, and can be of great benefit to all who are will