What Is Pain Management? Relief for Back, Knee Pain, Etc.

What Is Pain Management? Relief for Back, Knee Pain, Etc

Pain management would depend on the cause of the pain, which can be simple or complex. The history of the pain guides its treatment, intensity, duration, aggravating and relieving conditions, and structures involved in causing the pain. Indeed, pain management has a role in identifying the precise source of the problem and isolating the optimal treatment.

What Are The Types Of Pain?

Below are mainly the two types of pain: 

Acute Pain

This is a normal response to an injury or medical condition, which starts suddenly and is usually short-lived. It is experienced immediately or soon after an injury, for example, a fall, car accident, or bone fracture. It’s a signal from the body that has been injured. 

Once the injury heals and the pain stops, a patient suffers an injury or trauma, in which pain is subsequently experienced. Depending on the injury, it can be sharp or dull. While acute pain could be short, it typically commensurates with the severity of the injury and can take weeks or months to dissolve fully.

Chronic Pain

On the other hand, chronic pain continues beyond the time expected for healing. In general, the pain lasts for longer than three months. In fact, 80 percent of people are estimated to experience back pain in their lives, and it becomes a serious issue for many patients when it’s chronic. 

Moreover, chronic back pain can sometimes result from an injury but can also occur without any external stimulus. Apparently, some patients see a decline in their ability to enjoy their everyday activities after dealing with chronic back pain effects in the long term. If chronic back pain affects the quality of life, undergoing a pain management procedure may help relieve the pain and help regain mobility and independence.

How Is The Cause Of Pain Diagnosed?

Healthcare providers will examine and look for painful areas. They may touch or press different places on the body and ask about the pain. They may ask to describe the pain where it constantly comes and goes. 

 Also, they may need any of the following to find the cause of pain and check how much pain a patient feels.

  • A pain diary. Through this, it helps find the cause of the pain, which allows for tracking pain cycles. This includes the start of the pain, its duration, and its severity. Also, it includes anything that makes the pain worse or better.
  • Pain scales. This helps measure how much pain a patient feels. Pain scales may include numbers or faces. The healthcare provider may ask to rate the pain on a scale from 0 to 10.
  • X-ray, C.T., and MRI. To find the cause, any of these machines could be helpful. The patient may be given contrast liquid to help the pictures show up better. 
  • Stimulation tests. This test may help find nerves or muscles affected by pain.

What Are The Treatments Under Pain Management?

Below is the combination of treatments and therapies that often can be more effective than just one:

  • Massage. It helps alleviate headaches and muscle or joint pain in the back, hip, knees, and neck. Before trying it, confirm with the doctor that it won’t be harmful to the condition. The massage practitioner should be licensed by the state and certified by a national organization, such as the American Massage Therapy Association.
  • Muscle-Pain Creams and Patches. Counterirritants (such as capsicum and methyl salicylate) can create a feeling of heat, and menthol triggers a cooling sensation. The active ingredients, in both cases, inflame the area near the pain, stimulating the nerves and creating a milder sensation, distracting a patient from the pain being treated. 
  • Muscle Relaxants. Metaxalone (Skelaxin and generic) and cyclobenzaprine (Fexmid and generic) are prescription medications that help treat neck, back pain, and other conditions caused by muscle spasms. However, studies have failed to show that they work well for chronic pain management. On the other hand, muscle relaxants are best for acute, severe neck or muscle spasticity or back spasms associated with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or a stroke. 
  • Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). This form of psychological therapy can help learn to change how to think, feel and behave about pain. In fact, this is a valuable strategy for learning to self-manage chronic pain.
  • Oxycodone and Hydrocodone. Narcotic painkillers such as opioid narcotic painkillers (Percocet, OxyContin, Vicodin, and their generics) work to address chronic pain by attaching to the brain receptors, spinal cord, and elsewhere in the body and blocking pain signals sent to the brain. However, they don’t directly treat the problem causing the pain and note that these drugs can be highly addictive. 
  • Physical Therapy. Physical therapists use techniques like massaging muscles and moving joints through their range of motion and exercises to improve the patient’s flexibility and strength. In fact, multiple studies have shown that physical therapy, when associated with an exercise component, can help relieve joint pain and chronic neck and lower back.
  • Steroid Injections. The injection of Corticosteroids is for lower back pain that helps reduce inflammation around an irritated nerve temporarily. However, they’re not approved by the FDA for that use, though doctors can still use them. Also, the shots can offer modest, short-term relief for neck and shoulder pain and back pain that travels down a leg. 
  • TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation). It is a modern version of the Ancient Romans’ use of electric fish, available without a prescription. It works by operating a small battery-operated that sends electrical currents through electrodes placed on the painful areas. While it appears safe, the effect of reduced pain is still up in the air, and some research suggests it helps, but others haven’t found a benefit.

The Bottom Line

Suppose you’re experiencing chronic pain symptoms and want to live your life in full motion. Health and Wellness Medical Services offer Pain Management treatments that can help you manage the pain without narcotics through individualized pain management plans based on important aspects of your pain, including its location, intensity, duration, and treatment history. Ultimately, some of the pain management options that Health and Wellness Medical Services offer include joint injections, CBD oil, and other non-narcotic treatments.

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