Tag: pain management

Spinal pain can be divided into short term (acute recent onset) and long term (chronic). Treatment varies according to the type of pain you’re experiencing. Short-term pain is best managed by remaining active, rather than resting, according to specialist pain management physician Dr Simon Tame, from Northern Integrated Pain Management (NIPM). “Simple pain killers (anti-inflammatories or paracetamol) can be used providing they are effective. Stronger pain killers should be avoided. “Education and reassurance about low back pain is very important. Patients need to know the problem is quite likely to resolve, and rarely dangerous.” Long-term (chronic) spinal pain is a more complex problem. “People who experience long-term pain often develop associated problems such as depression, poor sleep, weight gain, and disability related to pain,” Dr Tame said. “In any long-term pain the way the brain processes pain changes, essentially making the pain-processing system more sensitive, and the problem more entrenched. These various problems associated with long-term pain all feed into each other. “In this case, a multi-disciplinary treatment that addresses psychological, physical and social factors is the best approach.” Multidisciplinary treatment can involve practitioners such as physical therapists, psychologists, nurses and doctors with a focus on things like physical

Focus on Function Should be Priority

By Dr Christie Mason, Clinical Pain Psychologist at Northern Integrated Pain Management

Pain is just the catalyst. Its not necessarily about the pain, its about everything it takes away from you. Before Mary had pain, she slept nine hours a night, now she sleeps 2. Before Mark had pain he enjoyed camping and fishing, now he is unable to mow the lawn. Before Melissa had pain she worked long hours in her job and loved it, now she is unable to sit for any more than 20 minutes at a time and works 2 half days per week in a completely different job. These are all very common stories in pain management. The pain wouldn’t be quite so debilitating if it didn’t turn worlds upside down. Then the downward spiral begins. Mary, because she only sleeps for 2 hours a night now, finds she cannot concentrate during the day because she is so tired Mark, who is now unable to complete basic tasks around the home, watches his wife mow the lawn, and begins to feel useless and worthless. Melissa, who can no longer work in her old role, feels a loss of identity and a loss of control in a job she previously loved and owned. Poor memory, physically deconditioning, depression, anger, hopelessness, and a loss of control are all common problems experienced by chronic pain sufferers. As a pain psychologist, I tend to see chronic pain sufferers when they are at their worst. Some people who enter