Pain is considered chronic if it lasts over three months. Chronic pain can happen all the time or occasionally, affecting any part of your body. Since pain is a symptom, your Howell ReYou healthcare provider has to determine its cause for effective treatment. Chronic pain may be severe, altering your daily duties and causing depression, anxiety, or sleeping difficulties. Chronic pain can result from diseases, infections, injuries, or psychological factors like stress and depression. Arthritis, cancer, chronic migraine, neuropathy, and post-surgical pain are the common causes of chronic pain. In some cases, chronic pain is a long-term problem, so you must learn to live with it.
Diagnosis for chronic pain
History: Your healthcare provider will ask when your symptoms started and if you have had an injury in the past or recently.
Physical examination: Your doctor may ask you to move your body in specific directions or move some body parts to identify your source of pain. The provider can check for swelling or inflammation in the affected area.
X-ray: This test uses low radiation levels to produce images of your body structures. It helps your doctor detect abnormalities in your body structures that may be causing your chronic pain.
CT scan: Your doctor can use a CT scan to produce more detailed pictures of your structure if the X-ray does not give accurate images.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): This imaging test uses magnets and radio waves to create images of your body organs and structure. It can show muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bone damage. MRI can also show inflammation.
Electromyography: This test shows muscle activity.
Nerve conduction: This test can show if your nerves are functioning appropriately.
Treatments for chronic pain
Medications
You can relieve chronic pain through corticosteroids, muscle relaxers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory depressants, and antidepressants such as tricyclic. Applying topical medications that contain pain relievers can help reduce chronic pain. Your doctor can prescribe sedatives if your chronic pain causes anxiety or insomnia. Anticonvulsants can help reduce chronic nerve pain. Opioids can relieve chronic pain, but doctors prescribe them as the last medication option because they can be addictive.
Nerve blocks
Nerve blocks involve your doctor injecting an anesthetic near the affected site to reduce pain. Doctors can also use nerve blocks as a diagnostic test to detect the source of your chronic pain.
Epidural steroid injections
Epidural steroid injection is where your doctor injects a steroid or corticosteroid into the space around your spinal nerves called epidural space. It treats chronic pain resulting from irritation and inflammation of spinal nerve roots.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
TENS treatment involves your specialist delivering mild electrical shocks through patches on your skin. The electrical impulses help relieve chronic pain.
Physical therapy
Physical therapy involves exercises to help stretch and strengthen your muscles. They help relieve chronic pain and improve mobility. Your doctor can recommend the appropriate activities for you depending on the location and severity of your chronic pain.
Chronic pain is any discomfort or ache that lasts more than three months. Although sometimes chronic is not curable, you can manage it through medications and physical therapy. Schedule an appointment at Re You Ketamine Treatments for chronic pain management to resume your everyday life.