Dr. Jeffrey I. Kennis,  D.C.
205 Commercial St Boston, MA 02109 NORTH END

( 617)720-2329


 

If you suffer from chronic pain, it's important that your friends and family know what you're going through. With this in mind, here are 5 things to know about chronic pain that you can share with your loved ones:

See Chronic Pain As a Disease: Why Does It Still Hurt?

physical therapist examining patient's lower back

Your chronic pain may not be directly tied to an injury or underlying condition.

Read:
 Modern Theories of Chronic Pain

1. Chronic pain is real

People with chronic pain are often treated as if they are making up (or at least exaggerating) their pain. But the truth is that all pain is real, even if there is no known cause. Additionally, almost all people with chronic pain want nothing more than to be pain-free.

See Types of Back Pain: Acute Pain, Chronic Pain, and Neuropathic Pain

So what your friend or family member needs from you is your support and kindness, not condemnation. Statements like "Get over it" or "It can't be that bad" don't accomplish anything other than to discourage those with chronic pain.

Thankfully, there is an increasing consensus in the medical community that all chronic pain is real, and that it needs to be treated even if there is no known cause.

See Modern Theories of Chronic Pain

 

2. Chronic pain commonly leads to disuse syndrome

Chronic pain often leads to long-term lack of physical activity and a condition recognized as disuse syndrome. This syndrome can negatively impact your musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, neurological, psychological, and emotional processes. At its worst, disuse syndrome leads to a pervasive lack of wellness that in and of itself can be debilitating.

Of note, disuse syndrome can both perpetuate and increase the likelihood of chronic pain worsening over time.

See Pain Management for Chronic Back Pain

3. Chronic pain commonly leads to sleep-related problems

Chronic pain can create a troubling cycle when it comes to sleep. That is, chronic pain can make it harder to sleep, and in turn a lack of sleep can make chronic pain worse.

See Addressing Pain and Medical Problems Disrupting Sleep

Common sleep-related problems caused by chronic pain include an inability to fall asleep, constantly waking up at night, and not feeling refreshed upon waking up in the morning. Because of the close connection between sleep problems and chronic pain, the two need to be treated together.

See Chronic Pain and Insomnia: Breaking the Cycle

4. Pain is deeply personal

Everyone persons experience of pain is different. For example, two people may have the same condition, and one may display no ill-effects, while the other may be incapacitated. When it comes to back pain, this is especially true. Two people can have the same type of herniated disc, but one feels only slight discomfort and the other feels burning, debilitating sciatic pain.

See Diagnosing Disc Problems

There are a number of possible reasons for this, including individual physiology, a person's upbringing, etc.

See Pain Signals to the Brain from the Spine

5. Happiness does not equal health

Often times, when a person with chronic pain is smiling or having a "good day," people assume that the person is not experiencing pain. However, this is not necessarily the case.

11 Chronic Pain Control Techniques

It is important to recognize that a person can be happy and at the same time be experiencing pain. So be careful to not assume that a friend or loved one is "healed" simply because they seem to be enjoying themselves.

The bottom line

There are so many secondary and related issues that accompany chronic pain that it would be a real challenge to address them all. This list is intended to at least get the conversation started—and for anyone living with any type of chronic pain, please pass this along to your loved ones to help them better understand and support you.

All About Neuropathy And Chronic Back Pain

If you have chronic pain, your may also find it does you a world of good to have increased emotional support, more effective and sustainable pain management, and even possibly harnessing the power of your mind to assist in coping with the pain.

Pain Management for Chronic Back Pain

Learn more:

Chronic Pain Coping Techniques - Pain Management

When Acute Pain Becomes Chronic Pain

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