How to Manage Chronic Pain & Inflammation

Holistic pain management for chronic pain is becoming increasingly popular. This form of treatment takes the entire person into account, not only the symptoms of injury or disease.

Chronic pain is an epidemic that afflicts millions of people on a daily basis and is only continuing to get worse. Patients are suffering with pain due to old injuries, arthritis, tissue inflammation, or other degenerative conditions of the body.

The usual medical answer is to put the patient on pain and “anti-inflammatory” medications to ease the pain while waiting in hope that the body will recover. While that strategy can work for acute pain treatment in some instances, we believe this approach is not well-suited to chronic pain treatment.

A painkiller road to recovery is filled with potholes. It often becomes the source of health issues, such as the side effects of long-term use of these two types of medications. That’s another key reason a holistic approach to chronic pain is growing more popular.

Chronic Pain Management differs from acute care in that the goal is to first identify the causes of the symptoms rather than simply cut off the pain sensation.

This can be done with a detailed history and physical exam and a functional motion assessment of the body. Once these physical, emotional, and nutritional factors are identified, we can offer treatment for chronic pain that address the source of the symptoms.

Because chronic pain often affects multiple areas of the body, it can take some time to fully feel the effects of treatment. The key to recovery is to focus on changing the persons life quality through improving their activities of daily living as the body re-adapts properly.

Another key part of holistic pain relief is to educate the patient about the modifications of diet, emotional stress, sleep, and physical activity that must be made to allow for healing. Patients must participate in a home care plan to aid in recovery.

During periodic reevaluation sessions, your physician will ask questions to help determine the severity of your pain and how it is limiting your daily functions, in order to update your long-term treatment plan. Each treatment session typically includes a review of changes in troubling symptoms. It also involves a focused reevaluation of the injured areas as well as a treatment procedure to assist the body’s recovery of more normal function.

The goal is to help your body heal itself with a targeted mix of methods that will allow you to get back on track to reach your life goals. Chronic pain does not have to limit your life. Our integrative pain management specialists can help you navigate the potholes on the road to recovery.