by Laura Hinds

Created on: April 15, 2009

Tips for Dealing with Chronic Pain:

I am a second generation sufferer of chronic pain, and thus have had to educate myself on not only the ins and outs of getting proper medical care, but also on how to be proactive and learn to manage my own pain, my own way.

The first and foremost thing I would recommend that people do is find a Pain Clinic in your area and get an appointment as soon as you can. This may likely involve having your Primary Care Doctor provide you with a referral, but this depends upon your own insurance plans regulations. If you cannot get an appointment for several weeks-which is often the case- ask to please be put on a cancellation list.

When your appointment day comes, be sure to have copies of your medical records that may give a diagnosis and any test results. Have a list of questions for the doctor as you will need to be concise. You will be asked to rate your pain on a scale of 1-10. This can be difficult to do, so one tip I suggest is that you start to keep track of your pain levels every day for a week or two. Write down when the pain is at its worst, what time of day it occurs, and what your activity is. Try and assign a 1-10 number on your list so that you have something to compare to at the doctor's office.

Many doctors are hesitant to prescribe narcotic pain medication. Narcotics do have the potential for addiction and abuse and should always be used exactly as prescribed.

There are, however, alternatives for pain relief. In my case, I have severe lower back pain and leg pain, similar to sciatica. I alternate the use of ice packs on my back with Capsaicin pepper patches which provide up to eight hours of intense heat therapy.

Physical therapy was a great help to me also. While I could not do conventional PT on exercise machines, Aquatic Therapy was wonderful. It is not the same as swimming, and I did not go to slightly warm water pool, such as the local YMCA. I went to a Therapy Pool where the water was kept at about 98 degrees. I felt almost no pain while in the water and was even able to do Aquatic Aerobics once a week. Unfortunately, my local Therapy Pool closed, but there are many still in operation around the country, often in conjunction with a land based Physical Therapy facility.

Another tip I'd like to offer is the TENS unit. This is the Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation unit that uses tiny electrical impulses sent through the skin to nerves to modify pain perception. This is not magic, and does not work for everyone, but it does provide significant relief for many patients. TENS can be prescribed by a physician and many Physical Therapists can offer you the opportunity to try one as part of your therapy.

Be sure to consult with your doctor or therapist about the possibility of TENS being right for you.

Finally, chronic pain is unfortunately something that does have a profound effect on your life, and usually is not going to go away completely. Each person will find their own coping mechanisms and I encourage you to ask for help in doing so. My tips work for me- they may or may not for you. In the end though, what does it hurt to try anything safe (like Aquatic Therapy, ice and heat and Tens) to help stop the hurt?

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