According the American Academy of Pain Medicine, millions of people suffer from acute or chronic pain. In many patients, unrelieved chronic pain problems often result in an inability to work and a depreciated quality of life. But, what exactly is chronic pain?
Chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than six months. This pain can be mild or excruciating. With chronic pain, signals of pain remain active in the nervous system for weeks, months, or even years. This can take both a physical and emotional toll on a person. Many of our patients most commonly experience chronic pain in their low back and joints but of course, everyone is different. Many patients deal with the pain for months until they can’t take it anymore, then they come see us after they’ve already ready been suffering for longer than anyone should.
Chronic pain typically lasts for 30 days or more. It’s quite a burden. What should you do if you are in pain? Get help! See a pain management doctor right away. If you are having a chronic pain, a therapy is a must which you can see in Movement 101. Treatments options including non-surgical pain management and non-surgical orthopedic are available. The following questions are three I often get asked about chronic pain.
What causes chronic pain?
I would love to tell you chronic pain comes from one specific place but then I’d be giving you false information. There could be a lot of reasons as to why you are in chronic pain and what caused it. In many cases however, chronic pain is caused by:
- Sports injuries
- Spinal conditions
- Neuropathy
- Arthritis
- Osteoarthritis
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Fibromyalgia
- Shingles
What can I do to get rid of chronic pain?
It is very unlikely that chronic pain will just go away on it’s own. For some people, chronic pain won’t ever go away. With the help of a pain management doctor, it can subside. A pain management doctor such as Dr. Franz and myself can help determine treatment options.
What Treatment Options Are Available for Chronic Pain?
Since each person is different, without doing an evaluation we can’t say which treatment is specifically for you. But, here are some of the treatments out there that are performed in our three Ocean County offices.
Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression – This form of pain management treatment is non-invasive and has been proven to help patients who have pain caused from a disc bulge, sciatica, and others, feel a lot better.
Micro-Vas Therapy – This is a form of physical therapy that we often recommend for patients with chronic pain caused by poor blood circulation.
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Injections – We often leave injections as a last resort for managing chronic pain. There are different types of injections that help some patients get relief.
Acupuncture – A cherished treatment in alleviating chronic pain, acupuncturists have been helping people for thousands of years. Some of these chronic pain ailments include: knee pain, lower back pain, sciatica, tennis elbow, and osteoarthritis. But, it does not end there.
If you are suffering from chronic pain, contact us at Northeast Spine and Sports Medicine. We proudly serve patients in Brielle, Howell, Toms River, and surrounding towns at our three offices.
