Article - Self Help for the Chronic Pain Sufferer

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Self help for the Chronic Pain Sufferer

In most instances of chronic pain there comes a time when there is nothing

more to be done medically or surgically; all investigations have been done,

all appropriate consulting physicians have been seen, all necessary surgical

procedures have been performed, various medications have been tried, and

numerous therapeutic modalities have been pursued. In spite of everyone's

good intentions (including yours, your family members', your physicians',

and your therapists'), you remain in pain. This point in time, when you have

come to the end of the " therapeutic rope; " when you have been told that

there is nothing more that can be done for you, is a very challenging time.

It can be very difficult to accept that there is not going to be a miracle

cure or magic pill that will suddenly alleviate your pain. It can be very

frightening to give up the belief that " if only I can find the right doctor,

therapist, procedure, etc.....I will be cured. " It can be very easy to

become discouraged and to become resigned to a lifetime of pain; it can be

very difficult to become motivated to heal yourself. It may now be perfectly

correct that there is nothing more that can be done for you; however, that

does not mean that there is nothing that can be done by you.

One of the difficulties in treating pain is in distinguishing between acute

pain and chronic pain. In acute pain there is an identifiable injury (or

illness), an appropriate treatment, and a satisfactory resolution, usually

within days or weeks. In chronic pain (or illness) the cause of the pain (or

symptom) is less clear, identifying appropriate therapy is difficult, and

there is no resolution to the case. Chronic pain, simply put, is pain that

persists beyond the natural healing period. A problem arises when chronic

pain feels like acute pain, is described to (and is accepted by) physicians

and therapists as acute pain, and is then treated as acute pain. When this

happens results are apt to be disappointing to both the patient and the

physician and both may end up feeling quite frustrated. To both recover

from, and to treat, chronic pain requires taking a different approach.

However, most professionals, such as physicians, nurses, and

physiotherapists, who are well trained in treating acute problems are not

well trained in treating chronic problems. It will be up to you to find the

appropriate professionals who do treat chronic conditions.

In a perfect world all people who experience chronic pain would be able to

attend an effective multi-disciplinary chronic pain program that would

address their specific needs and I do encourage those who can attend such a

program to do so. For those who are unable to attend such a program, for

whatever reason, there are ways of helping yourself.

There are many good therapists who specialize in chronic pain and illness

and who do therapy on an outpatient basis. Even though you are no longer

looking for someone to " fix you, " it is often helpful to work with a

physician and/or counselor who is willing to be a partner with you in your

recovery process and who will provide support when you need it. (We all need

help sometimes.) As I mentioned previously, it is very important that you

find a physician and/or therapist who is trained to work with people

experiencing a chronic condition (as opposed to acute) because the approach

needs to be different.

I believe that the first step in healing is to, once again, take charge of

your own life and health because this is your pain and it is going to be you

who changes it. The bonus is, as you begin to resume an active role in your

own health and healing, the feelings of helplessness will diminish and you

will begin to feel better about yourself.

Giving specific tips on recovery in this format is difficult, as it would

take a book to properly address the issues of chronic pain. Some ideas to

consider might include the following:

1) Observe changes such as improvements in pain, posture, or movement over

extended periods of time, that is in weeks (or even months) rather than

days, since many changes happen slowly. Comparing how you are from one day

to the next can become discouraging.

2) Learn about the difference between " hurt " and " harm " in your own body. In

an acute injury, pain is a signal that there has been " harm " to the body;

however, in chronic conditions this is not necessarily so.

3) Advise your family and friends that you are in the process of recovering

from chronic pain; that you are going to resume taking care of yourself; and

that, if you need help, you will ask for it. Insist on this and carry

through with it. In many cases of chronic pain (it certainly happened in

mine), there is a gradual relinquishing of personal power by the person in

pain and a corresponding assumption of power by family and professionals.

This shift in power is often a very insidious process, which, over time,

becomes a way of life; it becomes a habit that needs to be changed. Since

change does not occur in a vacuum (and any change that you make is going to

have an impact on others) there may be some resistance from those who have

been your caregivers. Hopefully, your caregivers will be happy that they no

longer need to look after you and will let you get on with your life. This

may be an area in which you would benefit from having professional help.

Sometimes a professional counselor can mediate a difficult situation.

4) Find a relaxation tape that you like and practice regularly. It may be

necessary to listen to a few different tapes to find a voice and an exercise

that works for you. Relaxation is necessary to healing and often difficult

for people in pain because relaxation is not something that we can make

happen; rather it is a state that we allow to happen.

5) Develop a regular exercise program. It is best to begin with a stretching

routine (Yoga or Tai Qi are both excellent programs) and then progress to

routines which lead to muscle strengthening and improvement in

cardiovascular status. Go for a daily walk.

6) I cannot stress enough the importance of getting your mind and body

working together. So many people have the belief that pain occurs only on a

physical level and that is simply not so. As long as chronic pain is

addressed as simply a physical problem very little is apt to change.

7) Pace yourself appropriately. It is important to keep moving forward but

not push too hard and cause a relapse.

8) Learn to accept where you are in your recovery process and at the same

time remain open to further improvement.

9) Join a " recovery group " . It might be helpful for you to work with others

who are recovering from chronic pain so that you can share experiences. I

use the term " recovery group " instead of " support group " to distinguish

between programs which encourage growth and programs which encourage

stagnation.

And, keep trying until you find a path that works for you.