Chronic pain is a common health problem that can have devastating effects on patients’ lives. There are two specific types of pain: nociceptive and neuropathic. Both of these can be chronic. Nociceptors are receptors sensitive to noxious stimuli (those that are damaging to normal tissue). They are located on A delta and C nerve fibres. Examples of nociceptive pain include:
- Back and neck pain; - Musculoskeletal pain; - Headache; - Osteoarthritic pain; - Rheumatoid arthritic pain; - Postsurgical and trauma pain.
Neuropathic pain is caused by a functional or anatomical abnormality of the peripheral or central nervous system. Damaged nerves lead to pathophysiological changes resulting in a distortion or amplification of naturally generated signals. Patients with this type of pain usually describe it as burning, with notable temperature changes in the affected region, or as shooting pains, which are often described as being ‘like lightning’. Examples of neuropathic pain include:
It is also important to assess pain behaviour by noting: - Vocalisation (such as sounds or words used to describe the pain); - Facial expression (such as grimacing); - Motor activity (such as slow or difficult movements); - Disposition (such as irritability); - Posture or gesture (such as limping or rubbing the affected area); - Other behaviours including medication-taking or using protective devices such as neck braces.
Depression is relatively common in people with chronic pain - an estimated 28 per cent of patients attending pain clinics have a well-defined affective illness. Depression should therefore be assessed along with suicide risk where appropriate.
Treatment
Treatment involves long-term management of the pain and has five main aims: - To reduce stress and pain; (Therapeutic Massage as Trigger point injections involve inserting local anaesthetic into small, circumscribed hypersensitive areas located within a tight band of muscle. Trigger points are categorised by mechanical stresses from muscle overuse, misuse or disuse. They refer pain in a distinctive pattern specific to the muscle, known as a ‘referred pain zone’. Myofacial pain syndrome is a local or regional condition caused by the presence of one or more active trigger points.)
- To restore/improve function; - To develop self-help and maintenance skills; - To improve depression/anxiety; - To improve relationships with family/friends/health care professionals.
Start a treatment with Vivid Holistic Wellness today: More detail email to Gina: vhw.4ulaughmore@gmail.com