Managing Chronic Pain
Every year 40 million American adults experience chronic debilitating headaches, 100 million more will have problems with back pain, and 90 million more will have pain from arthritis. Our pain response when functioning normally saves us from injury. In chronic pain, the person's pain response is not able to be shut off. Often with traditional treatment, chronic pain sufferers will fall into a vicious cycle with excessive medication, loss of sleep, fear of physical activity, frustration and depression, which all make the original pain worse. Many times, difficulty in finding a solid physical cause for the pain may cause health care professionals to dismiss the pain complaints and state that the person's pain is all in their head. For many people, chronic pain takes over as the central focus for their lives. In seeking treatment for chronic pain it is important to find specialists who have experience in treating chronic pain. In general, the treatment of chronic pain is seen as needing a multi-disciplinarian approach. Physicians, psychologists, and physical therapists generally work together to assist a patient to develop a program to manage their pain.
If you have been in pain for a number of months, it is important to seek experienced treatment. If the source of your pain is unknown, you may want to seek assistance at a comprehensive pain center that has many specialists on staff.
Two recent directories are published in the United States and Canada. These are the APS/AAPM 1989 Directory of Pain Management Facilities. It is available from the American Pain Society and the American Academy of Pain Management. Cost is $30.00 for non-members. The address is APS, P.O. Box 186, Skokie, IL 60076. The second directory is the Directory of Pain Treatment Centers in the United States and Canada, published by ORYX Press and costs $64.00. The address is ORYX Press, 2214 Northcentral at Encanto, Phoenix, AZ 85004-1483. These directories list pain centers. The Commission of Accreditation and Rehabilitation Facilities publishes a list of clinics they have accredited. This list is available from CARF, Suite 226, 2500 North Pantano Rd., Tucson, AZ 85715. There are a number of support groups available for individuals experiencing chronic pain; an excellent one is the National Chronic Pain Outreach Association, 4922 Hampden Ln., Bethesda, MD 20814. Also, the National Institute on Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke at the National Institute of Health has free brochures on chronic pain and on headache pain. The address is NINCDS, Building 31, Room 8-A-16, Bethesda, MD 20892. In addition, your local psychological and medical associations can provide information about practitioners who specialize in the treatment of chronic pain.
If you have been in pain for a number of months, it is important to seek experienced treatment. If the source of your pain is unknown, you may want to seek assistance at a comprehensive pain center that has many specialists on staff.
Two recent directories are published in the United States and Canada. These are the APS/AAPM 1989 Directory of Pain Management Facilities. It is available from the American Pain Society and the American Academy of Pain Management. Cost is $30.00 for non-members. The address is APS, P.O. Box 186, Skokie, IL 60076. The second directory is the Directory of Pain Treatment Centers in the United States and Canada, published by ORYX Press and costs $64.00. The address is ORYX Press, 2214 Northcentral at Encanto, Phoenix, AZ 85004-1483. These directories list pain centers. The Commission of Accreditation and Rehabilitation Facilities publishes a list of clinics they have accredited. This list is available from CARF, Suite 226, 2500 North Pantano Rd., Tucson, AZ 85715. There are a number of support groups available for individuals experiencing chronic pain; an excellent one is the National Chronic Pain Outreach Association, 4922 Hampden Ln., Bethesda, MD 20814. Also, the National Institute on Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke at the National Institute of Health has free brochures on chronic pain and on headache pain. The address is NINCDS, Building 31, Room 8-A-16, Bethesda, MD 20892. In addition, your local psychological and medical associations can provide information about practitioners who specialize in the treatment of chronic pain.