Pain is referred to as chronic pain when it is ongoing and persists beyond the normal healing time of about three months. 1 in 5 Australians live with chronic pain, their pain only lessens when the healing process completes but never completely subsides. The term “chronic pain” isn’t very specific and doesn’t describe the severity or quality of the pain, therefore, it may be difficult to recognize the cause of the pain.
Previous episodes of acute pain can transition into chronic pain if it was left untreated or poorly treated to begin with. Chronic pain can be intense and unrelenting, the longer the pain remains untreated, the greater the risk of the body becoming sensitized to pain which can lead to long term chronicity and disability if it is not managed appropriately.
There are a number of chronic diseases that are well recognized and common such as migraine, osteoporosis, arthritis, fibromyalgia and some other musculoskeletal conditions. Furthermore, there are a number of other chronic pain conditions that may not be as common and they include conditions related to nerve pain, pelvic and abdominal pain, facial pain and persistent post-surgical pain.
There are three major elements to chronic pain management, Medication, physical and cognitive therapy and all three needs to be implemented as a multimodal approach. Pain management involves applying a range of different strategies into practice to figure out which best works for you.
The goal of treatment with chronic pain is to reduce overall pain and improve function to allow the person to continue with their activities of daily living. It is important to remember that chronic pain usually cannot be cured, but rather managed. Your healthcare provider will discuss treatment options with you depending on the severity and location of your chronic pain. Other modalities besides medication, physical and cognitive approaches involve acupuncture, electrical stimulation, nerve blocks, low level laser therapy or surgery.
If you are suffering from chronic pain we can help! Here at Lakeside Chiropractic we use a multimodular treatment approach, which means we use a combination of modalities to manage chronic pain; including: mobilization, manipulation, adjustments, activator adjustments, electrotherapy, soft tissue work, traction, dry needling, exercises and various stretching techniques.
Located at 3/45 Central Walk, Joondalup WA; Central to Perth’s Northern Suburbs. With Visitors from Various surrounding suburbs, Such as: Iluka, Currambine, Beldon, Ocean Reef, Tapping, Edgewater, Hillarys, Mindarie, Burns Beach. If you would like to book an appointment please contact us on 9300 0095 or you can visit our website www.lakesidechiro.com.au
