Chronic pain can truly make your life miserable! No matter how
healthy you are, chronic pain can, to some extent, make you unfit for
leading a normal life, leaving you with no other option but to run
helter-skelter to the doctor’s doorsteps.
What Is Chronic Pain?
Pain,
as such, is caused because of some injury or disease that affect the
visceral, somatic and neural structures in the body. The same holds for
chronic pain as well. Unlike acute pain, chronic pain is not gone in a
few days. As the body show signs of healing, acute pain gradually
leaves the host body but chronic pain continues, sometimes even for
months at stretch.
Causes
Nociception is the
term that describes the biological experience of pain. Nociception
occurs if the nerves of the body cannot carry on their functions
properly because of some disease or because of some injury. Nociception
is governed by peripheral and central nervous systems. The peripheral
nervous system comprises of small myelinated and unmyelinated nerve
fibers, which meet into a region of the spinal cord referred to as the
dorsal horn.
The dorsal horn virtually starts the process of
pain signal transmission, followed by nerve fibers, which transmit the
signals to the thalamus. The neurons move on from thalamus to the
limbic system, reaching the sensory cortex so that we feel pain. The
continuous nociceptive transmissions to the dorsal horn can even cause
the nonnociceptive nerve fibers to respond to, generate and transmit
pain signals. In case of persistent pain, it literally becomes
impossible to reverse the process.
Treatment
The
victims of chronic pain find help in medicines and therapy. Pain
relievers, antidepressants and anticonvulsants are most frequently used
to kick off undesirable pain. Antidepressants and antiepleptic drugs
acts in the region of the central nervous system and provide much
needed relief in neuropthic pain disorders.
Opioid and
non-opioid medications are used to check the pain caused by chronic
pain but come with a host of side effects. The use of Opioids for a
longer period may cause drug tolerance, chemical dependency and
(rarely) addiction. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are
analgesics that offer relief from persistent pain, but prolonged use
will invite a host of serious side effects.
Therapies
Therapies have come as a welcome relief for persistent pain sufferers.
Unlike medication, therapies are free from any side effects. They not
only give relief from persistent pain, but also act as stress-busters
and assure you multiple advantages.
Physical therapies like
stretching and strengthening and exercises like walking, swimming or
biking have proved effective in bringing relief. Moderate exercising is
better for a chronic pain patient.
Occupational therapy
helps you to do normal activities without injuring yourself. Behavioral
therapy includes meditation and yoga that alleviate chronic pain, also
helping de-stress, giving your body a relaxing and rejuvenating
experience.
Injection neuromodulation and neuroablative
therapy strikes either the organ systems responsible for continuous
nociception or the nerves carrying pain signals.
Other Ways To Reduce Pain
Kick of your smoking habit, as nicotine decreases the effect of medicine you take for chronic pain.
Proper sleep at night and short nap during daytime helps considerably.
Consult your doctor properly to ensure that chronic pain syndrome
becomes a matter of past and it does not haunt you anymore.