CHRONIC PAIN BY MICHELLE MARTIN
Pain is like a warning signal to take care of an injury or illness. Chronic pain, however, is pain that continues when there is no good reason for it anymore. It’s as though the signal won’t shut off for months or years after the person is aware of a problem or even after it has healed. At best, this pain is a nuisance and at worst, it is debilitating.
A person with chronic pain is likened to a car with four flat tires in a video put out by the American Chronic Pain Association. Medical treatment may work to fill one tire, but the other tires are still flat, and the car cannot go. The video’s message: it often takes a combination of various interventions to fill all the tires or adequately address someone’s chronic pain and allow them to continue their life’s journey. The Association advocates a “multimodal strategy,” in which a patient incorporates an individualized blend of techniques. These might include self-care activities, such as exercise or meditation; both mind and body-focused therapies provided by professionals; and modalities and medicines prescribed by health-care providers.
DIS-LIST
Acute pain is pain that is the direct result of illness or injury and has a distinct beginning and end. In contrast, persistent or chronic pain is defined as pain that continues three to six months beyond the usual recovery period, or that goes on for months or years due to a chronic condition. “The pain is usually not constant but can interfere with daily life at all levels,” according to the American Chronic Pain Association. The association reported in The Association’s 2019 edition2 of pain manage2002 that more than 50 million Americans suffer ment techniques lists about three dozen therapies. from chronic pain each year.1
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