Pain Management
Without pain we would be at risk of much greater injury, for example if we didn’t feel the pain of a burn when we accidentally touch something hot from the oven, then we wouldn’t pull our hand away so quickly, and the damage could be much worse. This pain then continues to prompt us to provide suitable wound care, and then to allow the hand to rest and heal.
Other aspects of the pain experience can be a bit more difficult to understand. For example:
- Why, after someone has healed from an injury, do they continue to experience pain months or years later?
- How is it that a person can feel pain from a phantom (amputated) limb?
- How is it possible that a person who has been a victim of a shark attack could report minimal pain at the time?
- Why can the same injury be more or less painful depending on the circumstances that surround it, and the mood you are in at the time?
- Why does that persistent toothache seem to cease the moment you book an appointment with the dentist?
The answer to all of the above questions becomes clearer when we realise that pain doesn't originate from the injury site itself, but from the brain. This is powerful knowledge and can help us in the management of chronic pain.
So many people live with chronic pain and it can be a very isolating condition. A large proportion of people who experience chronic pain find that the usual interventions such as physical therapies (e.g. physiotherapy, osteopathy, massage), or opioid medications (e.g. Panadeine, Endone) are not very effective in treating it; providing only temporary relief.. This can lead to questions about the authenticity of the pain (is it all in my head?). The experience of pain is very real and very personal.
This is where psychological therapy can assist. A psychologist (or other allied health professional) who is trained in pain psychology and the biopsychosocial model of pain can assist you to better understand and manage your personal pain experience. Psychological therapy can also be helpful to assist with management of some of the conditions commonly associated with chronic pain such as depression and sleep disturbance.
I have continued to expand my knowledge of pain systems and pain psychology including training with the NOI group in their Explain Pain methodology, and have been educating people about pain and the brain to assist them to understand their personal pain experience. If you think this form of therapy may be suitable for you, please give me a call.
Pain Management Resources
- Jean Hailes Foundation has some great resources particularly aimed at women's health. If you experience pelvic pain, endometriosis, vulval pain or similar, have a look at the information and resources they have available
- NOI group have heaps of useful resources on their website including this workbook that introduces useful tool for understanding the multiple contributors to any person's pain experience, the Protectometer. As well as their Explain Pain reference book aimed at clinicians, people in pain and their families.
- One Thing asked a variety of professionals the one thing they would like people who experience persistent pain to know, check out their responses in this video
- The Pain Management Network is a NSW government website with basic information for people who are just starting to navigate their persistent pain experience
- Pelvic Pain has multiple causes and treatment options, this booklet produced by the Pelvic Pain Association provides a wealth of information helpful for people who experience all kinds of pelvic pain