Pain

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So why does pain stay…..
 

How we are brought up to think about pain

Basic pain physiology

Differing aspects of pain and how they interact

Now need to look at.....



 

The Healing process

Why previous treatments only gave short term relief

Pain that persists more than 3 months is termed chronic

The system becomes easier to stimulate, changes occurring at the nerve endings, where the nerves join the spinal cord and in the brain

As yet we do not know how to reverse these changes when they have been there for some time

Pain:

Major causes of pain are:

Arthritis

Disc problems
 

Surgery

Mechanical disorders : –

Poor posture

Poor muscle tone

Arthritis:

You have an ongoing inflammatory process 

At the same time you have the healing process occurring

With the formation of scar tissue, leading to thickening of joints

This tightens as its forming, leading to loss of movement

Is a repair process – not new for old

Treatments:

Some joints can be replaced (knees or hips)

Pills – pain killers and anti inflammatory drugs, glucosamine

Decreasing the stress on the joints by:

Strengthening the muscles that support the joints

Keeping weight down

Maximising the blood supply to the joints

None guarantee a cure

Treatments for low back pain:
 

80% of back pain we are unable to identify the exact structure causing the pain

Surgery required for less than 4%

Not usually done for pain relief

Research has shown that exercise is the most effective treatment

Pain killers, injections hands on physiotherapy treatments are short term options

Surgery:

Sometimes surgery is unavoidable

Can be done for pain relief or to prevent further harm / damage

It is not a new for old process there are always changes due to:

The formation of scar tissue, if different layers of tissues get stuck together (adhesions) movement can cause pain

Mechanical disorders:
 

Poor posture

Weak muscles

Both will result in joints being stressed and pain

Treatments:

Correction of posture by strengthening muscles

Painkillers and injections will only give short term relief as the underlying factors have not been addressed

Pain:

Treatments are aimed at stopping nerves from sending their messages to the brain

Pain killers

Injections

Effect lasts as long as the drug is still active

Need to take regularly

All have side effects

Key messages:

At the present time there is no cure for chronic pain

But there is a lot of evidence that Pain Management Programs are effective in the long term management of chronic pain

The treatments you have tried in the past only gave short term as they were unable to address the underlying cause

It is ok to use anything to give you short term relief as long as you don’t expect it to cure you!
 
If you have any questions or need to book a Physiotherapy session, call Hawkes Physiotherapy on 01782 771861

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