Some chronic pain is related to old injuries or surgeries. But some is undefinable, having no apparent cause and no tissue damage that can be ascertained. It simply lingers for months and sometimes years, which may make the condition even more worrisome, because no treatment is apparent.
Even though there are painkilling drugs, they don’t work for more than 40 percent of people, according to the American Academy of Pain Medicine. Similarly, a 2011 Gallup-Healthways poll reported that more than one-third of Americans older than age 50 have chronic back, neck, leg or knee pain, and more than 20 percent aged 40 to 80 suffer from another type of pain. The rate of chronic pain seems to increase after age 25, and the number of those reporting the condition decreases slightly after age 60.
Even if pain medications work, some of them have significant side effects that can cause other problems if not monitored by a medical professional. Sometimes there’s even an increase in pain, and there’s a risk of drug tolerance, addiction (which can bring on withdrawal symptoms), anxiety and hyperalgesia, an increased sensitivity.
Chronic pain can be related to arthritis, lower back pain, multiple sclerosis, headaches, fibromyalgia, shingles, nerve damage and osteoarthritis, among other conditions.
Widespread Chronic Pain
Medical definitions don’t have a “cure” for chronic pain. But there are treatments and medications that may make pain more manageable.
New technologies that focus on alleviating suffering range from holistic treatments to acupuncture and embrace surgery and electromagnetic stimulation and pumps.
Some treatment methods currently being used:
1) Blocking: Using X-rays for observation, physicians inject numbing medication to dampen or stop chronic pain. The injections can be in any location and depend on the type of pain and body part, with the nerves sending signals to the area causing the pain targeted. Unfortunately, this technique is temporary, and it’s likely a regular regimen of injections may be needed, particularly with cancer.
2) Radio Waves: Radiofrequency ablation is a process where a physician heats a nerve believed to be causing pain, in effect short-circuiting its connection. The effects on the nerve are usually observed with a CT scan. While this is a longer-lasting form of treatment, it’s also not permanent but can bring relief up to a year.
3) Spinal Cord Stimulation – Physicians insert a pacemaker-like device to stimulate nerves. This produces a tingling or massage-like feeling instead of pain. Treatment is usually used in the lower back, with wires attached to the spine. The benefit is control -- the patient uses a remote-controlled device to adjust the stimulation to higher settings if they reach a certain threshold of pain.
4) Electric Signals. Physicians insert an electrical nerve stimulator under the skin and send low-voltage signals through pads. This interrupts signals to the brain and produces endorphins, enhancing a patient’s feeling of well-being.
There are also pumps that can be inserted to regulate pain. These use a battery-powered button that delivers anesthetics and other medicines directly to the targeted area. This eliminates some of the side effects of oral medications by directly hitting the trouble spot. Cancer patients are the primary users.
Cell therapy is another area of study. Although it’s still in development, researchers are looking into stem cell therapy using bone marrow, hoping that injections of new material into areas that are sources of pain will “purify” the conditions causing it by building healthier new tissue.
Medications for Pain Management
There are also medications to help pain. One path is using antidepressants at doses lower than those used to treat depression. These lower reactions to pain in the brain. Pamelor, Elavil, Cymbalta and Norpramin are tricyclic antidepressants that target brain chemicals like serotonin and norepinephrine.
There are also topical painkillers available in cream form for localized pain. Most contain capsaicin, which helps cut back on the flow of the pain conduit chemical called substance P. Transdermal skin patches with lidocaine are also used.
In cases of severe pain, such drugs as morphine, oxycodone and fentanyl target nerve cell receptors and dramatically can reduce pain levels. There are concerns about these drugs and their addictive qualities, so many physicians are reluctant to use them. They also have a high street value, which means some low-income pain sufferers are tempted to sell them to meet other financial needs.
Other medication treatments include anticonvulsants and muscle relaxants. These are used to treat burning, spasms and shooting pains by calming the body. Side effects include drowsiness and weight gain.
Natural Remedies
There are also holistic remedies, including acupuncture, hypnosis and meditation. All are often recommended as alternative ways to calm and redirect focus from chronic pain.
Acupuncture uses fine needles inserted at various points in the body, which are then manipulated to stimulate the chi energy that practitioners believe flows through the nervous system. Many thousands of years old, acupuncture has become more widely accepted by the traditional medical community in recent years as a legitimate alternative to medication.
Biofeedback is another calming technique that has found growing acceptance. In this practice, patients learn to monitor and control their heartbeat and other areas of the body while hooked up to monitors. By relaxing and focusing on reducing pain in certain areas, biofeedback can slow reactions and induce a calming effect.
Finally, meditation and hypnosis have the twin goals of relaxation and calming the mind and body. By focusing intensely and clearing the mind of extraneous thoughts, it is believed that the body slows down, and pain can be eased.
Although there is no magic cure, managing chronic pain has worked for many people, helping to provide a ray of hope and ways to ease suffering. Talk to a medical professional and find out what may be the best path to ease any afflicted areas.