CHRONIC PAIN: A DEBILITATING DISEASE AFFECTING 100 MILLION AMERICAN ADULTS!
While everyone feels pain from time to time, such as pulling a muscle or having a backache, chronic pain is tremendously different from everyday pain.
Chronic pain is defined
as pain that lasts longer than three months and can continue when the injury or illness has been treated. Chronic pain is a disabling condition that affects 100 million American adults every year, a number that keeps growing, which can negatively affect one’s wellbeing.
Working, sleeping, or even seemingly simple tasks
like walking up the stairs are activities that become harder if you’re living with chronic pain. In fact, chronic pain is one of the most common reasons adults seek medical care and costs the nation approximately $560-635 billion annually in direct medical treatment costs and lost productivity.
Join me for a recent interview with Michael Fishman,
MD, MBA, double board-certified anesthesiologist and Interventional Pain Medicine specialist and his patient Genevieve, who suffered for more than 30 years with chronic pain.
They discuss the journey of chronic back pain management, including how Genevieve finally managed her chronic back pain, which had previously prevented her from sleeping properly, walking long distances, and going about her day-to-day activities.
Three tips that may be helpful in managing chronic pain:
- Mind-Body Therapies: Mind-body therapies are treatments that are meant to help the mind’s ability to affect the functions and symptoms of the body. Mind-body therapies use various approaches including relaxation techniques, exercise, meditation, guided imagery, and hypnosis. Relaxation techniques can help alleviate discomfort related to chronic pain.
- Manage your diet: Believe it or not, diet has an impact on a person’s ability to fight pain away. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in foods such as salmon or tuna, have been known to reduce inflammation. Yellow, orange, and red fruits/vegetables are from a group of phytochemicals known as carotenoids – which have also been known to help reduce inflammation.
- Talk to your doctor about treatment options: In the case that medication or lifestyle changes won’t fix or lessen your pain, it’s crucial to speak to your doctor about the latest treatment options. Your doctor may recommend a number of treatments, including pharmacological, relaxation and/or physical therapy, or DTM™ Spinal Cord Stimulation, to help alleviate the pain.
See the entire interview here:
More about Dr. Fishman
Michael A. Fishman, MD is a double-board certified anesthesiologist and Interventional Pain Medicine specialist at Center for Interventional Pain & Spine in the Greater Philadelphia Area.
Dr. Fishman has expertise in a variety of treatments for painful conditions, and he has experience as an investigator in over 25 clinical trials. Dr. Fishman is a graduate of Thomas Jefferson University Medical School, and he now serves as a resource to patients living with chronic pain in Pennsylvania.
More about Genevieve
Genevieve of Lancaster, PA is a [collegiate level educator and] patient of Dr. Fishman. Genevieve suffered from chronic back pain for more than 30 years, which made everyday activities painful – even sitting or walking. After trying several different treatment options, Genevieve met with Dr. Fishman who has been working with her to manage her chronic pain.
*Article and Interview courtesy of Medtronic