Can Your Chronic Pain Problems Be Eliminated with the Right Treatment?

Thanks to advances in pain medicine, millions of people no longer have to live with the types of chronic pain that may have been untreatable 10 or 20 years ago.

Unlike acute pain that warns us that something is wrong in the body, chronic pain can last more than six months and can continue long after the cause has been treated or even healed.

Getting an accurate diagnosis and treatment for chronic pain is about more than bringing relief to the affected area.

Why qualified, competent chronic pain diagnosis and care are essential for a patient’s overall well-being and longevity.

1. Studies show that severe, persistent pain causes the affected body part to decondition and immobilize, leading to muscle, joint, and nerve problems. Immobility frequently results in weight gain, which makes the problem worse.
2. Under prolonged pain, nerves can become hypersensitive, intensifying discomfort and complicating diagnosis. Patients often overcompensate with another part of their body, which can create a secondary pain site that sometimes becomes more painful than the first.
3. Over time, persistent pain puts severe stress on the patient’s endocrine, cardiovascular, immune, neurologic and muscular-skeletal systems. That is
4. According to an article published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, “The importance of effectively treating pain is underscored by the increased odds of suicide, major depressive disorder, substance use and substance use disorders seen in chronic pain patients compared to persons without chronic pain.”

As with all good medicine, proper diagnosis is key to finding the right treatment protocol. Technological advances in ultrasound and other imaging techniques have increased clinical efficacy in pain diagnosis.

Interventional pain management is a relatively new specialty dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of pain-related disorders.

Now new minimally invasive techniques are freeing millions of patients from debilitating suffering and helping them improve their health, well-being and quality of life. Find out if they can help you or a loved one by downloading this free health guide brought to you by the specialty physicians at Mason City Clinic.