Chronic Pain, Especially, Responds to Psychological Interventions

Let it be known, this is not to say your pain is anything but real! But, don’t underestimate the power of the mind body connection. Research continues to validate emotional treatment in pain management, particularly in the long term–chronic pain. There is also a role for emotional treatment in acute pain; however, that is not the focus of this discussion.

Integrated programs featuring both medical and psychological pain management are the rule in sophisticated pain centers. Veterans centers are quite specific in combining comorbid post traumatic stress and physical disability treatment. Psychology has earned a solid place in chronic pain management.

First, Understand Medical Procedures

For the purposes of this discussion, we will leave the treatment of the medical aspects of pain to the medical experts. Indeed, as a “somewhat new specialty,” some anesthesiologist have broadened their practice to extend their knowledge and use of anesthesia from the surgical arena to outpatient treatment. For an excellent overview, catch the videos by Dr. Thelma Wright, director of the University of Maryland Pain Management Center.

The Suffering Part of Pain

Pain is highly subjective to the individual experiencing it, and is a major symptom in many medical conditions, significantly interfering with a person’s quality of life and general functioning. While suffering certainly encompasses physical pain, the concept of suffering is frequently linked to chronic conditions that negatively affect the person’s quality of life and general functioning.

As a postscript, suffering definitely can be relieved to a great extend with the use of appropriate adaptive equipment. Medical products add to mobility, physical abilities, safety and comfort of the individual. One of the initial steps when evaluating help for the suffering should include finding adaptive equipment that provides immediate relief for mobility, bath safety, and assistance in completing daily living tasks.

The chronic pain condition has, indeed, become more than the physical experience of pain, but an illness itself. Chronic pain impairs mental and emotional functioning; it leaves feelings of hopelessness and despair. Depression and anxiety jump to the fore!

Enter, Psychological Treatment

With the spread of symptoms and the impact on overall functioning beyond the physical, treatment needs to move into a different era–not just attacking the physical symptoms. The general picture becomes complex and many times confusing with respect to differentiating symptoms and finding solutions. The world of mind body health should become the norm at this juncture in treatment.

Ah, The Chicken or the Egg?

We are reminded that we are a total being, not just a hurt part or a specific disability. When and how did depression and anxiety get pulled in? Did we get depressed because we now have pain or a disability, or did the depression cause the pain to worsen? The answer is often not clear cut; however, the treatment is quite clear. We must treat the emotional part–the chronic pain syndrome–as well as the pain itself.

We will expand on treatment in later posts.

The least you need to know:
1. Chronic pain develops into a syndrome itself.
2. At that point, the needs for treatment go beyond addressing the actual physical pain.
3. The rationale for mind body healing has firm grounding.

Your actions, should you chose to accept this mission, require:
1. You to be open to psychological treatment in concert with medical tx.
2. You to begin recognizing the mind body effects of chronic pain.