In Canada, November 2nd to 8th was Pain Awareness Week. For most of us, unless you work in health care or are actually IN pain, you probably don’t think about it.
But the reality is that 8 million Canadians (that’s 20% of us!), report constant pain: the kind that impacts how we live, feel, and function.
This article explores everything you need to know about pain including how to manage it, treatment options, and how to prevent pain from becoming a lasting problem.
Pain 101 – knowing the facts
Recall a time you felt pain? Maybe it was caused by a fall, an injury, a virus, or an underlying condition. But what actually caused the sensation of pain?
Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience typically associated with some type of damage to your body. Health care providers often refer to pain as being acute (short term) or chronic (lasting beyond three months).
Tip: Living with pain can also cause a financial strain. LivePlanBe has compiled a list of support and resources for Canadians living with pain.
What affects the pain you feel?
Pain can be influenced by a wide variety of factors. For example:
- Physical – your diet, fitness and activity levels, and overall strength
- Psychological – stress levels, resilience, attitude, outlook, and personality
- Social – your connections and support system
- Environmental – anything in your home, work, or recreational settings that affects you physically or mentally
What actually causes pain?
A range of factors determines how much pain an individual feels, and can vary from one person to the next. Understanding your triggers is the best way to manage and prevent pain. While it may be necessary to use medication to reduce pain and inflammation processes within the body, without resolving the underlying issue, this form of symptom relief can be temporary and short-lived.
Here are possible causes of pain that patients may experience:
- Structural trauma: this includes injuries from falls and accidents, or degeneration that is caused by disease (for example arthritis, tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis).
- Nerve related causes: this includes nerve compression or pinches such as sciatic pain, nerve sensitivity after surgery or trauma, or neuropathy from metabolic conditions or illness.
- Whole system causes: sometimes the nervous system can amplify pain signals or is sensitive to specific triggers such as those experienced by individuals who suffer from migraines, fibromyalgia, or chronic back pain.
- Lifestyle factors: Chronic high stress, a lack of sleep or exercise, constant, heavy, or repetitive workloads, or mental health challenges may contribute to pain.
Tip: Canada houses one of the leading international research institutions for pediatric (children’s) pain at Dalhousie University. Learn more here, plus resources for managing pain in children.
What makes pain so complicated?
Pain is not simple.
Having several of the risk factors above can compound pain levels. For example, emotional stress combined with a physical injury and poor lifestyle habits can magnify pain levels.
Think of pain as an all body response involving your nervous system, inflammation processes, hormones, as well as your beliefs and attitudes towards pain. This is why pain is complex and a very individualized experience.
Managing and treating pain
Given pain can be caused and affected by a wide variety of factors, a one size fits all approach does not work.
The good news is that there are evidence based strategies that are known to be effective. They include:
- Movement and exercise because they promote blood flow and healing. If there is one thing you can do to help your pain, it’s to keep moving. Gentle stretching, strengthening, and walking are advised as part of most pain management programs and treatment.
- Manual therapies such as manipulation, mobilization, and soft tissue work can help to improve mobility (movement) and gently reduce muscle and joint tension.
- Modalities include laser treatment and electrical therapies which help reduce inflammation and accelerate healing.
- Assistive devices and wearables include custom foot orthotics, bracing, or taping/wrapping, depending on the source of pain.
- Mental exercises may vary from breathing exercises to meditation to relaxation techniques. Research shows that promoting calm can help decrease pain intensity. There is a reason prenatal instruction includes breathing techniques for women in labour.
- Lifestyle modifications address sleep, nutrition, stress management, and exercise guidance since all of these factors are known to trigger inflammation, contributing to pain and discomfort.
How can Alliance Chiropractic help?
Helping patients with pain is what we do.
Effective pain treatment and management requires understanding the big picture and underlying causes. Our individualized plans are based on a physical assessment, your health history, and discussion of your goals. Depending on the type and causes of pain, acute, maintenance, or supportive care options are recommended. If additional tests are required, patients may be referred for imaging or further assessment.
We help patients achieve their personal health and wellness goals. Whether it’s treating an injury so you can return to playing the sport you love; managing pain symptoms caused by a chronic illness so you can live independently; or correcting a structural issue to prevent future pain or injury, we are here.
Contact us if you are experiencing pain or have concerns or questions about this blog or any other health or wellness concern.
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Information for this blog was sourced from the Alliance blog library, Government of Canada, Pain Canada, and Psychology Today.