Why pain becomes chronic?

When a pain condition continues more than 3 to 6 months, we call it chronic pain. Is this just a name change or there are real differences between acute and chronic pain. It turns out that there are many real changes that happen in our nervous system and through them our pain becomes chronic. We have many control mechanisms in our spinal cord and brain to either inhibit or facilitate pain message transportation. When pain becomes chronic, many of the inhibitory systems stop working and many facilitatory systems get activated. Some of these changes may be correctable and some may be permanent. The focus of chronic pain treatment is to reverse the correctable changes and and prevent permanent changes. Because of these changes in our nervous system we may get symptoms in areas different from our actual primary injury. For years patients would be subject of doubt and miss trust because we did not know why would their symptoms of pain be wider than their areas of injury. Now we know. So our chronic pain is real and it has a real physiological list of reasons to exist. Don't let anybody tell you it is only in your head, although we all perceive pain by our heads!!

Don't hate your pain!!
Your pain is a part of you, don't hate it. Actually you should not hate anything about yourself. Instead try to learn this: Like yourself so you can love yourself again. RESPECT yourself. Your pain has limited you in all forms and ways, but you are who you are no matter what.
When pain starts to control your life, you can fall into deep depression and see only black. You cant see any light in your life. You start hating everything in your life. In reality you lose respect for yourself and think you do not deserve a better life. This needs to change. You are a respectable person. You need to remind yourself that you deserve a better life despite the fact that your pain is bothering you so much. chronic pain is a medical condition but suffering is a mental decision. We should all work on our self respect and better ways of thinking about our life. Positive thinking brings on positive emotions. Positive emotions would lead into better management of our life.
Kevin ROD

My dear friends to this blog: WELCOME As you know I am Kevin ROD a physician practising in pain management in Toronto. I will be posting info about pain and try to share ideas with you. Things like Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain Syndrome, Neuropathic pain, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Headaches, Lower back pain, Chronic Neck Pain, Car Accident injuries, Depression, Pelvic Pain, Arthritis, etc. Please join me in this blog.

Don't let your pain stay untreated

If you have back pain that bothers you every once a while, or a pinching type of pain in your neck, don't let it stay un-diagnosed for long. If a pain condition starts anywhere in your body, you should seek medical attention early.

Early examination and investigation lead to rapid, correct diagnosis. This provides you with a better chance of your pain being treated and preventing it from becoming chronic. If the pain stays more than three to six months, the chance of having a chronic pain increases. Having a chronic pain is not a life sentence.

There are many chronic pain conditions that can be treated if well investigated. The take home message is: Don't let your pain stay too long, do talk to your doctor about it.

There are many ways a cancer condition can cause pain

If the cancer is in the form of a tumor it can grow with a certain speed, which can, at times, be very fast. This rapid growth can cause pressure over the neighboring tissue. For example, in bone cancer or a metastasis of a tumor to bone, the growth can put pressure over the covering of bone or periost. This pressure can be very painful.

Tumors can grow, and at the same time die or be destroyed, at central parts or parts with impaired blood perfusion. These parts can release chemical substances that initiate a pain response. There are other ways a tumor or a cancer condition can cause pain, but what is important is how to control or manage cancer pain.

If a tumor is causing pressure and the pressure is causing pain, radiation therapy can be used to reduce the size of tumor, and therefore the pain from the pressure. Anti-inflammatory medications, co-analgesic medications and opiates can be used for management of pain. Procedures such as different nerve blocks can be used to reduce the pain.

Many new findings support the role for meditation, hypnotherapy and mind over matter techniques.

There are Natural medicine supplements which can reduce inflammation, help reduction of circulation to tumors, boost immune system and work as Anti-Oxidants. Each of these are steps in the fight to control the cancer pain. Our experience shows the best results would be from a combination of all these treatments in a Multi-Disciplinary setting. Toronto Poly Clinic is currently accepting new cancer pain patients.

Headaches are among the most common pain condititions

It is so common that it's importance is often neglected. There are few important points to remember:

• Any major changes in severity of headaches needs to be investigated.
• Any new major headaches needs to be investigated.
• Ongoing use of pain killers can cause analgesic rebound headache.
• Headaches can be secondary to other conditions like high blood pressure, stress, neck injuries, infections, etc. It is important to be thoroghly examined to rule out these conditions.
• Migrain headaches need to be treated by preventative medications first or along with abortive pain killers to control the pain.
• Don't let your headaches become chronic before you see your doctor.
• Proper sleep, relaxation, daily exercise and proper diet are essential components of prevention and treatment of headaches.

The role of HOPE in chronic pain management

Chronic pain is one of the most difficult medical conditions we can ever face in our lives. It affects any possible aspect of our personal, professional and social life. The pain and it's consequences can wrap us around so hard that we could not see the light of life and happiness anymore. This is the road to loose hope. We call it Catastrophization of chronic pain. It means that the pain has passed the line of being a warning signal for an injury or lesion and has reached the point of over shadowing all our existence. Loosing hope is the most important part of the battle that we may loose. Keeping hope is the essence of life with all it's joy and difficulties, ups and downs, comforts and PAIN.

NEVER LOSE HOPE, THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY OUT, ALTHOUGH WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE IT.