Learn How You Can Manage Your Chronic Pain
Don't allow pain to rule your life: Being a partner in managing your symptoms can make a big difference
It is rare that I meet anyone who truly can say they have no pain in their body.
I’ve given many thousands of lessons to patients and clients on how to self-treat their painful body parts — and now I realize that the best way to do this is by educating people on how to stop the cycle of pain, when and where it occurs. To be successful at abolishing pain, and particularly chronic pain, you must learn to become mindful of what you are feeling in your body, day and night.
For most people, their pain results from some kind of mechanical problem that may be causing radiating and in some cases debilitating symptoms. The McKenzie Method — a comprehensive care system used by physical therapists — classifies mechanical pain into three types:
Postural Syndrome
This is pain resulting from poor posture.
Derangement
The result of something displaced inside a joint or a spinal disk, this pain causes an obstruction in range of motion.
Dysfunction
This pain is a result of chronically shortened tissues in the joint tissues, as well as the tissues surrounding the joint.
Each of these conditions can be self-treated by implementing a proactive treatment using the McKenzie Method.
Where does the pain come from?
The quickest way to determine if your pain stems from a mechanical source is to visit a practitioner who has been trained in mechanical diagnosis and treatment (MDT). This method is predominantly used by physical therapists. The McKenzie Method has become the most effective treatment available for abolishing neck and low back pain of mechanical origin.
Developing mechanical pain
Mechanical pain can be caused from a single event, such as a sports injury, a fall or even be a post-surgical side effect.
It also can be due to a repetitive and chronic mechanical stressor, such as sitting at your computer with poor posture. Ever sat at a desk or in a car? Cleaned your house, done yard work or cared for children? Then you could develop mechanical pain.
Chemical pain vs. mechanical pain
It’s common for pain to stem from mechanical or chemical causes. Sometimes they occur at the same time. Knowing how to treat both kinds of pain can be crucial to permanently abolishing your symptoms.
● Mechanical pain can be relieved with specific spinal or peripheral joint movements.
● Chemical pain can only be eased by chemical means to reduce inflammation. The best treatment for inflammation is applying ice to the affected area, or taking an anti-inflammatory medication (prescription or over-the-counter).
A prescription pain reliever such as Vicodin will not have a lasting effect on the sensation of chemical pain. That’s because it’s an opiate narcotic, which doesn’t do anything to ease inflammation.
If you don’t know what to take to ease pain caused by inflammation, ask your doctor or pharmacist what would be the best and most effective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug to treat your condition.
Self-management of pain
There will be times when chemical pain and mechanical pain will occur at the same time. If you are interested in self-treating your pain using exercises, there are books that can help (including “Treat You Own Neck” and “Treat Your Own Back” by Robin McKenzie).
If you have begun the exercises and have only gotten partial relief, or are still unsure what’s causing your pain, that’s a good sign that it's time to start working with a practitioner who can diagnosis your condition and help you manage your pain.
● Mechanical pain can often be rapidly reduced or abolished with the right kind of self-generated movement.
● Chemical pain also can ease within 24 to 48 hours, once inflammation decreases.
When both types of pain are occurring at the same time they need to be treated at the same time, or you may not see a good reduction in symptoms. An experienced mechanical diagnosis and treatment practitioner can tell you how to treat either condition, separately or combined, so that you get the best pain relief.
RELATED: Examining chronic pain treatment
Don't let pain rule your life
The best advice that I can give to those who have been suffering for years is not to give up the hope of feeling better. Choose to be proactive about getting relief from pain. Gain as much knowledge as you can about your condition
A few times I have been uncertain about a patient’s potential for getting better, and nearly every time the patient surpassed my initial judgment. Research has shown that patients who are actively involved in self-treating their pain have much greater success at reducing and abolishing painful symptoms. So the odds are in your favor for finding relief!
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As of January 30, 2015, this service provider was highly rated on Angie's List. Ratings are subject to change based on consumer feedback, so check Angie's List for the most up-to-date reviews. The views expressed by this author do not necessarily reflect those of Angie's List.
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