Chronic pain is the number one reason people seek medical care. In 2016, the CDC estimated 1 in five adults suffers from chronic pain. It robs sufferers of enjoying daily activities and can even damage their physical, mental and sexual health. Here’s what everyone should know about chronic pain.
The constant assault can affect a person’s life in many ways. According Perry G. Fine, MD, of the Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Pain Research Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, in the Long-Term Consequences of Chronic Pain include:
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- sleep disturbances
- cognitive processes and brain function
- mood/mental health
- cardiovascular health
- sexual function
It can also influence a person’s thoughts, feelings, sleep patterns, memory, concentration, and relationships.
Chronic Pain Causes Stress
Whether it’s headache pain, back pain, neck pain or hip or knee pain, pain leads to a stress reaction throughout the body. Chronic pain can cause muscles to tighten and spasm, which in turn results in even more pain.
Studies show that pain can elevate blood pressure, pulse rate, adrenaline and cortisol serum levels, putting hazardous stress on the cardio-vascular system. Chronic pain may also experience elevated serum lipids and glucose levels.1
When people suffer from chronic pain, they don’t get healthy, restorative sleep at night. This puts even more stress on the body. This is why it is so critically important to find relief from chronic pain. Finding chronic pain relief can restore healthy sleep patterns. This in turn can reduce blood pressure and pulse rate while lowering adrenaline and cortisol serum levels.
So it’s clear that chronic pain is bad for a person’s physical health. However, it doesn’t just steal physical health. It also affects a person’s emotions, their relationships, and even their state of mind. It is known to change the levels of stress hormones and neurochemicals found within the brain and nervous system. This disruption of the delicate balance can affect mood, thinking and behavior.
Searching for Effective Relief
One comment we hear patients say after a few visits is:
“I didn’t realize how much chronic pain was affecting my life!”
The human body is incredibly effective at adapting to small daily changes. That’s why chronic pain is such a dangerous condition. It does damage through small daily changes. Only upon finding relief do patients realize all that chronic pain was stealing from them.
Dr. Danielle is always delighted to be able to help her patients get back to enjoying their life. Unfortunately, many chronic pain patients suffered needlessly before finding her. Many have found her practice as a “last resort” after they’ve tried everything else—even after seeing other chiropractors!
It’s obvious by reading the Advanced Wellness Solutions website that Dr. Danielle practices differently than other chiropractors. She uses a modern form of chiropractic care known as gentle chiropractic care. This newer style of chiropractic replaces traditional high-velocity adjustments with low-velocity, low-amplitude manipulations. Dr. Danielle uses different techniques and patient positioning to deliver effective, gentle chiropractic care. She effectively treats neck pain, backpain, wrist pain, shoulder pain, hip pain and knee pain with gentle chiropractic manipulations.
Gentle chiropractic care is more comfortable and provides maximum benefit from minimal visits.
Using Medication to Relieve Chronic Pain
It’s natural to want to find quick, easy solutions to get quick relief from pain. It’s understandable that you want to get back to doing everything you were doing before the injury that caused your pain. There’s nothing faster or easier than taking a pill or two in search of relief from pain.
Don’t let clever marketing tricks fool you into thinking that painkillers hasten the healing process of the body. Of course, the ads never come right out and say that. There’s a reason for that—they can’t because it’s not true.
Pain medications do not speed up the healing process. While they can be very beneficial in the first few days after an injury, they are not recommended for long-term use. Pain medications, used in the short term, can provide symptomatic relief while chiropractic care breaks up scar tissue and adhesions, relieving stiffness, pain and the discomfort it causes.
We’re learning that you won’t find the solution to pain in a pill. Not only are opioid medications dangerous and addictive, they can actually cause your pain to worsen.
As if that wasn’t enough, there’s another problem with taking pain relief medication.
The Overuse of Pain Relief Medication Can Cause Headaches
Regular use of pain relievers—even the over-the-counter variety—can cause medication-overuse headaches.1 Medication-overuse headache (MOH) is clinical diagnosis. It’s classified as a secondary disorder affecting patients who use pain-relieving medication (OTC or prescription) more than two to three days per week.
The bad news: the most effective treatment for MOH is to stop using pain-relieving medication.2
The good news: gentle chiropractic care can effectively treat many causes of pain without drugs or other medication.
Acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain.
Acupuncture has been shown to be beneficial in alleviating chronic pain associated with musculoskeletal issues, headaches, and osteoarthritis. 1
Medical massage therapy for the treatment of chronic pain
According to the available evidence 2 , it is advisable to strongly advocate for medical massage therapy as a pain management alternative when no other treatment is provided. While it receives a moderate recommendation for alleviating pain in comparison to sham or active treatments, it shows potential benefits for enhancing mood and health-related quality of life when compared to other active interventions.
Effective treatment options for chronic pain
In conclusion, chronic pain remains a leading concern for many. driving them to seek Chiropractic care, acupuncture, and medical massage therapy have all demonstrated significant benefits in alleviating pain and improving overall quality of life. Each of these therapies offers unique approaches tailored to address the underlying causes of discomfort. By exploring these alternative treatments, patients can find relief and regain control over their daily activities. If you or someone you know is struggling with chronic pain, consider consulting with the medical professionals at Advanced Wellness Solutions to find your unique solution.