Chronic pain affects 17% of males and 20% of females in NSW and in a significant proportion of these people, it will impact on their daily lives. Major advances have been made in our understanding of pain in the last 40 years. It is now widely accepted that pain is a multi-dimensional experience. Major advances have revealed that not only are afferent nerve impulses modulated in the spinal cord, but by regions of the brain that regulate attention, emotion and memory. This can happen at all stages in the pain experience: acute, sub acute and chronic. In essence this means that the traditional biomedical model of pain has been replaced by the biopsychosocial model of pain.
Pain cannot always be explained or equalled to underlying pathology. The brain has plasticity, which means that it changes in response to stimuli. Pain can modulated, inhibited or excited, in response to the brain’s interpretation of a painful event.
Early identification of risk factors, patient education and early return to normal activities can minimise the risk of transition from acute to chronic pain. If a chronic pain state is identified, a multidimensional management plan should be put into place. A holistic approach is required. As well as physical factors or underlying pathology, consideration needs to be given to other contributors to pain and disability such as history of trauma, negative cognitions and emotions, expectations, social situation etc. It is advantageous that health professionals dealing with a particular case have an understanding of the nature of chronic pain to avoid a purely biomedical approach. Patients often spend time and money on unnecessary medical investigations with resultant positive findings that may then be attributed to the patients pain when in reality, they may have little clinical significance. This can also be a source of frustration for the patient and clinician and lead to unnecessary investigation.
There is still enormous progress to be made in the area of chronic pain. But the bottom line is that the management of patients in chronic pain states needs to be multidisciplinary, including pharmacological, psychological, physical and must include patient education. Exercise and education should underline any effective pain management program.
Call now to make an appointment with Jane Watson Physio
WAHROONGA, Sydney North Shore
Phone: 9489 4111. Available weekdays and Saturday mornings