Job 33:19 - Or a man may be chastened on a bed of pain with constant distress in his bones For years, the medical profession saw pain as the result of an injury or illness. However, there are times when the pain cannot easily be connected to a specific injury. It may even occur in an area which does not show up on any examinations such as x-rays or MRI’s.
This can be difficult not only for the physician to diagnose, but for the patient who can be made to feel like it’s not real. However, it is real and it does hurt. Spine-health.com in their article, “Chronic Pain as a Disease: Why Does It Still Hurt?” talks about chronic pain being renamed as a disease. This can affect types of treatments, the prognosis and different ways to diagnose chronic pain. Many times there is no physical evidence of the pain. You can’t physically see a headache, unless it is caused by a tumor, which can be seen on a CAT scan. However, you can diagnose a patient with chronic pain by also following their symptoms. Treating chronic pain as an illness opens up new doors of treatment. Physical therapy has in the past mostly been given to those with therapy after a broken bone heals, muscle therapy or therapy after a stroke. Now, that chronic pain has been attributed to being like a disease the therapist can also treat the chronic pain patient with physical therapy. Treatment can also be outlined for a patient at home. This method of stretches and aerobic exercises can be beneficial for the patient with chronic pain. Also, being that the therapy takes place at home; the patient doesn’t have to go through finding a ride if they don’t drive or shifting their personal schedule so that they can go to physical therapy. I for one have been doing home treatments for my chronic pain for some time. I had been given therapy at a treatment center and then sent home with specific exercises to do. I have kept up my routine exercises because I found that though it may hurt some while doing the workout; in the long run my pain has been more manageable. I look forward to the days when pain as an illness will be recognized and new ways of treatment are discovered. If you’d like to read more information about pain as a disease, select the link below to spine-health.com. Have you experienced difficulty in finding the right diagnosis for your pain and treatment for it? Be sure to let us know. |
AuthorKaren Dalske is a freelance writer, public speaker, is active in her church and writes her blogs out of her own experiences of pain, illness and loss. Archives
January 2021
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