Medications
Chronic pain can be a considerable burden that takes over your life and interferes with every aspect of your daily routine. It can limit physical activity and sleep and affect relationships and work performance.
Medications can help you manage your chronic pain by relieving pain signals sent by your body to your brain. They include pain relievers and antidepressants.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and aspirin, can also control pain. However, they can also cause side effects such as hyperacidity, stomach ulcers, and kidney damage.
NSAIDs can be combined with more potent analgesics such as opioids or acetaminophen to relieve pain. Opioids are powerful pain relievers but can be highly addictive and should not be taken over long periods without a doctor’s prescription.
Physical Therapy
Whether you’ve been suffering from an injury or need help managing your pain, a pain clinic can be a great resource. It offers physical therapy, which can help you reduce your pain and improve your overall health.
Physical therapy is a conservative, non-invasive treatment that helps you manage your pain by strengthening and improving your mobility. It can also provide various other benefits, including improved overall fitness and a decreased risk of future injuries.
In addition to physical therapy, pain clinics can offer counseling services to help you manage your symptoms. Counselors can help you identify unhealthy habits and behaviors associated with your pain and encourage positive changes. They can also prescribe exercises and lifestyle changes to improve your health and relieve pain.
Counseling
Pain is your body’s way of letting you know something is wrong. Usually, it goes away after you take care of it. However, some people have chronic pain that lasts for months or years.
Counseling is an integral part of managing chronic pain. It helps patients deal with the emotional aspects of their condition.
It also improves the patient’s quality of life. Psychologists who work with people suffering from chronic pain help them learn relaxation techniques that keep their stress levels under control and lessen their pain.
They also offer support groups that can be helpful outlets for pain-related emotions.
When you visit a pain clinic Orange Park FL, your clinician will examine your medical history and review your symptoms. They may also request blood work, diagnostic tests, x-rays, and MRIs.
Knowing how to make it go away is often challenging in pain. Thankfully, you can do many things to reduce the intensity of your pain and improve your overall quality of life.
Start by identifying what’s causing the pain, allowing your doctor to understand better what is happening with you. Talk to your doctor about when and where you experience pain, how long it lasts, and if it seems to get better or worse with certain activities.
You will also need to discuss how your pain affects your daily life. If it limits your work or social activities, this is called a pain-related disability.
A pain management specialist helps you manage pain through various approaches, such as medication, therapy, procedures, and exercise. Your provider will develop a plan that addresses your unique needs and goals.
What to Expect When You See Your Pain Physician: During your first visit, your provider will ask you several questions about your pain, such as when it happens and how long it lasts. They will also evaluate your pain using a range of tests and methods to determine what is causing it.
What Types of Pain Are Common?
The most common types of pain are acute and chronic. An injury or medical condition usually causes acute pain and can be managed with over-the-counter or prescription pain medications, physical therapy, and other treatments.