Pain Syndromes and Pain Management

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Pain Syndromes and Pain Management

 

Acute and chronic pain effects over 100 million people in the United States each

year. While pain is best known and characterized as subjective, meaning only the

person who is experiencing it can explain what it feels like, pain is often

called the Universal equalizer. Pain affects people differently. What may be

perceived as only a minor nuisance to one person, may be completely debilitating

to someone else. Pain is a warning that something isn't quite right. Pain is not

a disease in itself but the result of an underlying condition or due to injury.

Pain is not just a physical sensation or psychological event, but a combination

of these and other components.

 

Pain can be caused by a variety of situations such as accidents, musculoskeletal

disorders, improper lifting, bending, sports activities, misalignment of the

vertebrae of the spine and disease. It can also appear out of nowhere with no

obvious cause. A viral illness may possibly be a cause, or emotional trauma,

such as fear or resentment. n the vast majority of cases, pain is caused by

stasis of blood and or our body's energy resulting in muscle spasm, trauma and

immobility.

 

From a healthy heart to a good sex life, the proper flow and circulation of

blood in our arteries is one of the most important things we can do to maintain

good health, a pain free life and push back the aging process.

 

There is a common denominator between good arterial health and pain disorders

such as heart attack, obesity, diabetes and high glucose levels, as well as

sexual health. That common denominator is blood.

 

Pain is a vicious cycle: spasm and inflammation lead to more spasm and

inflammation. Although the cycle can develop due to injury, the ultimate cause

is often in the brain, which can interfere with muscle physiology through the

spinal cord. Chronic (long term) and acute back (and neck) pain are common

expressions of stress and emotional stress. This demonstrates the true

complexity of the mind/body interaction. Many times it is the brain's distortion

of muscle function that sets us up for pain by preventing muscles from

responding freely to physical stresses.

 

Acute pain can result from disease, inflammation, or injury to tissues. This

type of pain generally comes on suddenly, for example, after trauma or surgery,

and may be accompanied by anxiety or emotional distress. The cause of acute pain

can usually be diagnosed and treated, and the pain is self-limiting, that is, it

is confined to a given period of time and severity. In some rare instances, it

can become chronic.

 

Chronic pain is widely believed to represent disease itself. It can be made much

worse by environmental and psychological factors. Chronic pain persists over a

longer period of time than acute pain and is resistant to most medical

treatments. It can often cause severe problems for patients.

 

In assessing pain, a useful approach is to assess pain intensity (sensory), pain

relief (cognitive), pain location, pain distress (affective), behavioral

patterns or other similar sensory aspects of pain.

 

Without a doubt, added stress and strains can take its toll on your spinal and

nervous system. Maintaining a physically fit body, awareness of body positions,

a clean and detoxified internal system, keeping fears, stress and insecurities

in check and careful execution physically, through each day are all great ways

to avoid daily aches and pains.

 

 

Common Pain Syndromes

 

1. Inflammation: can be caused by injury, joint diseases, tumors, infection,

abscesses, misalignment. The cause is usually clearly defined and is medically

classified as Calor, dolor, rubor, and tumor: Heat, pain, redness, and swelling.

The four classical signs of inflammation.

 

2. Physical Injury: are defined as cuts, broken bones, sprains and strains and

can manifest as intense burning pain or deep aching pain.

 

3. Widened Inflamed Blood Vessels: considered migraines, headaches or temporal

arteritis. This is defined as pulsing, throbbing intense pain and localized to

the area of inflamed blood vessels.

 

4. Insufficient Blood Flow: considered angina, leg pain, pain from exercise or

in some cultures the definition of pain itself; blood stagnation.

 

5. Nerve Pain: expressed as shingles, diabetic neuropathy and sciatica. This

sensation is that of tingling or burning pain and may radiate along nerve

pathways.

 

6. Toxemia: which is caused by the ingestion and accumulation of substances

which are foreign to the body and toxic in nature, such as chemicals, drugs,

etc. These produce irritation, inflammation and pathology in bodily organs and

systems. Toxemia, which is also due to the accumulation of toxic wastes

resulting from the food and beverages we eat and drink; unnatural food or

natural food in excess beyond what the body can use at the moment.

 

7. Deficiencies: The insufficiency of necessary food substances, such as

carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, enzymes etc., lead to

breakdown of cells, tissues and organs which is given names of diseases,

according to its location.

 

8. Enervation: is the reduction or loss of energy due to the lack of rest or

sleep, or the excessive use of emotion, negative thoughts, worry, stress, or the

overdoing of physical actions, overeating etc. Enervation leads to a reduction

of the body's ability to digest, absorb, assimilate and excrete body wastes -

thus leading to a retention of wastes in the cells and tissues and thereby

causing disease.

 

 

Source of Relief from Pain

 

1. Cold Applications: This application often feels best on acute injuries, where

the pain is often hot to the touch or has a feeling of heat radiating from it.

Ice numbs the area, reducing pain. It also constricts blood vessels, limiting

blood supply to the injured site. This action decreases swelling. Ice can also

decrease muscle spasms. If an area is painful to move or swells after exercise,

use ice. Apply ice or a frozen object, such as a bag of corn from the freezer,

to the injury. Be sure the area is protected from the cold application and not

applied directly to the skin. The cold will reduce swelling and pain at the

injured site. This step should be done as soon as possible. Apply the frozen

object to the area for 20 minutes, every two to three hours for the first 48

hours.

 

2. Hot Applications: This application is often most affective for chronic

injuries or pain that is cold to the touch or has cold radiating from it. It is

very useful with injuries agitate by cold or damp weather. Heat increases local

blood supply, bringing healing cells to the area and potentially relaxing tight

muscles. Use moist, hot towels or microwavable heat packs for no more than 10 to

15 minutes several times a day. Never sleep on a heating pad.

 

3. Anti-inflammatories: from aspirin to herbal compresses, anti-inflammatory

applications can reduce the recovery time by half if done within the first 24-48

hours of an injury or painful attack.

 

4. Lancing or Draining Abscesses: reducing swelling from painful sprains and

strains and toxic swellings from insect bites are all very important reasons for

lancing and draining an injured area. In , cupping is done after

the lancing to draw out the blood from the area. This is a very affective method

used to decrease the amount of time it takes for the area to heal.

 

5. Rest: This can be the best medicine for any condition from a cold to a broken

bone. Rest rejuvenates, repairs and reassembles. For acute injury, rest and

protect the injured area. If it hurts to bear weight on the injury, use

crutches, if it hurts to move the area immobilize it with a splint.

 

6. Compression and elevation: tend to go hand in hand. Compress the injured site

by applying an Ace bandage. This will decreases swelling of the injured region.

Although the wrap should be snug, make sure it is not too tight as this can

cause numbness, tingling, or increased pain.

 

7. Elevation of the injured area: above the level of the heart as much as

possible. This technique will also assist in reducing the amount of swelling to

the injured site.

 

8. Exercise conditioning and stretching: certain pains can improve from

stretching such as painful stiff muscles and joints by increasing blood flow to

these areas. Weight baring exercises are beneficial for improving strength and

bone density. Restoring movement and normal function to an injured area is

critical. Learn to stretch to improve your flexibility.

 

9. Dietary Changes: So many aches and pains can be eliminated by the proper

foods we choose to eat. Weight gain affects our joints, heart, circulation and

blood pressure among other conditions. Change your diet and change your life.

 

10. Root Cause Treatment: Pain is the result of injury or disease. With acute

pain, the cause is often obvious. A fall resulting in a painful scrape or

twisted ankle. In chronic pain, often the pain has been with you for so long, it

is hard to pinpoint the real cause or root cause of the disorder. Most

alternative health therapies see the occurence of disease as the results from an

imbalance. The treating of the root of primary cause of disease is what makes a

root cause treatment very affective in the long term. It does not just treat the

symptoms of that disease.

 

 

Andrew Pacholyk, MS L.Ac

http://peacefulmind.com/pain.htm

Therapies for healing

mind, body, spirit