Features Of Pain Management

Nobody likes to suffer from an unpleasant sensation of pain which is actually a reaction of the body to physical illness, injury, or mental disease. Generally pain can be categorized as acute and chronic. Acute pain occurs suddenly because of injury suffered by a tissue. The injury can be caused by anything that damages body tissue, like surgery, trauma or cancer. Blood pressure and heart rate usually rises in acute pain. But once the cause of the pain can be eliminated, the pain normally goes away. Chronic pain usually linked to a chronic disease that persists longer and lacks a clear cause. Chronic headaches, chronic lower-back pain, or cancer pain belongs to this category.

A pain management approach usually depends on the nature of the pain; whether it is acute or chronic. Pain is generally managed by using psychological methods, medical methods, or alternative therapy approaches. In the case of short-term acute pain caused by a trauma, standard medications available over the counter, natural or herbal remedies and alternative medicines can be used. Chronic pain is harder to tackle, as this pain lasts for longer period of time and is more complex. Medical approaches towards pain management can be divided into two main methods; drug treatment and surgical intervention. Analgesic or painkiller drugs can reduce or eliminate pain without affecting consciousness. Psychotropic drugs act on the brain, influencing the emotional state of the sufferer. People should, however, be careful about their long-term effects. Another method used in pain management is nerve blocking, in which a drug is injected around the appropriate nerve to prevent the pain message from reaching the brain.

The underlying principle behind the surgical division of nerve pathways is that if the pathway is broken, the pain message cannot get through. Although not surgical in the true sense, but the Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) stimulates the particular area of the skin over the site of the pain with the help of an electric stimulator, and replaces the pain messages with a tingling sensation. Although useful in some cases of acute pain, the implementation of acupuncture may not prove very effective in chronic pain. Some health professional prefer the use of hypnosis to reduce pain, as well.

Some pain management clinics focus on a single method of treatment, like the injection of steroids to reduce inflammation, back pain or headache, while others provide more varied types of approaches. Many pain management clinics these days use multiple treatment providers employing specialists from various areas of medicine, who share information and coordinate care for the best possible results. These health care providers might include a neurologist, internist, anesthesiologist, family physician, psychologist, physical medicine specialist, psychiatrist and physical therapist.

Pain management clinics may also offer non-drug therapies including individual and/or family therapy, hot and cold therapy, biofeedback, physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, breathing exercises, self-hypnosis and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. People must check whether the clinic is accredited or not before making a decision. Recognition ensures that the program fulfills the basic requirements for appropriate medical care. In fact people should consult their physician to decide which one is appropriate for them.

• John Palsson
• 16/12/2008, 8:59 PM
• 0 Comments