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Chronic Pain

 

​Did you know...
Chronic pain continues to be one of the primary reasons for medical consultations worldwide.1 In 2008, the United States estimated that nearly 100 million people were affected by chronic pain with an associated economic cost ranging from $560 billion to $635 billion annually in medical care and decreased productivity.2
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The American Academy of Pain Medicine outlines the management of nonmalignant chronic pain and recommends combination therapy, including analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, antidepressants, and anticonvulsants.3 Prescription pain killers are an enormous cost to the United States, with an annual bill of $17.8 billion, of which $12.3 billion is attributed to opioids. As the public health issue of substance abuse grows, there is a strong correlation between opioid sales and opioid-related deaths. Opioid sales quadrupled from 1999 to 2015, while opioid-related deaths quadrupled during the same time period.4 Chiropractic care has been shown to help in managing or alleviating chronic pain without the use of drugs or surgery as well as being cost effective, considered safe, and satisfactory to a high number of patients.

Chronic pain is a burden on public health in the US, affecting more Americans than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined.5 Low back pain is the most common form of chronic pain described by patients, with a lifetime prevalence of 85%. Between 1994 and 2004, Medicare expenses for LBP in the US rose 629% for epidural injections, 423% for opioid medications, 307% for magnetic resonance imaging, and 220% for lumbar fusion surgeries, all without accompanying improved outcomes for these patients.6 This underscores the need for more effective pain management strategies and is accentuated by the fact that prescription opioids are some of the most commonly used methods to treat chronic pain in lieu of the growing opioid epidemic.7

Access to essential health care is limited in economically depressed urban areas. Federally Qualified Health Centers strive to bridge the gap of care to these areas by providing affordable, comprehensive health care. Some of the risk factors for chronic pain happen to be the same risk factors that are common among those who utilize FQHCs (low education level, low socioeconomic status, and higher rate of substance dependence or abuse). Therefore, those more likely to have chronic pain are also more likely to have their healthcare needs met at FQHCs.10 Also, those dependent on opioids frequently have multiple medical and psychiatric comorbidities.8

The recent and ongoing literature provides ample evidence that the management of chronic pain needs amending,9 in part due to the amount of deaths related to prescription opioid medications.10 Although chiropractic care does not treat chronic pain by itself, it may serve as an important addition in an integrated healthcare setting and may play an important role in reduction of opioid dependence.
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Chiropractic care not only has high patient satisfaction, it also provides positive objective results.11 Chiropractic care can have a positive influence on the patients’ pain and on the duration of their pain, which helps the patients and the healthcare system save money. A study found that older patients with multiple comorbidities who used only chiropractic manipulative therapy during their chronic LBP episodes had lower overall costs of care, shorter episodes of LBP, and lower cost of care per episode day than patients in the other treatment groups, which included treatment by conventional medicine.12 Adults with LBP are more physically and mentally unhealthy than those individuals without LBP. Murphy et al state that physical activity improves general health and halts the progression of chronic pain. Because LBP contributes to chronic pain, with a lifetime prevalence of 85%13 and multiple episodes years after the initial attack, it would make sense to utilize a provider that specializes in treatment of LBP. Access to chiropractic care appears to offset a patient’s demand for primary care physicians’ services, further reducing the number of opioid prescriptions written.12 However, chiropractic care is often out of reach for many patients with chronic pain for monetary and accessibility reasons.

Stop letting chronic pain ruin your day.
Is persistent and aggravating pain limiting your physical abilities? If so, our physical therapy treatments can lead you on a path towards relief, even if you’ve tried physical therapy before.

The process of pain doesn’t always affect us in traditional ways. Sometimes it can linger for days, weeks, or even months because of an underlying condition. We call it “chronic pain” when pain persists for three months or longer. Chronic pain is both physically and emotionally debilitating.

Some causes of chronic pain.In many cases, chronic pain stems from a neurophysiological origin. Chronic injury, illness, anxiety, and feeling depressed are interlinked in a complex web, which leads your neurological system to always be on high alert.
Chronic pain can appear in many forms, but most notably, back pain, joint pain, nerve pain, or headaches. It usually occurs due to one of the following causes:

Accidents: Whether it occurs in an automobile, workplace, or even in your own home, any accident can lead to chronic pain. A 2016 statistic found by OSHA, workplace injuries happen to approximately 2.9 out of every 100 employees. Additionally, a study published in a journal called Pain determined that 21% of people involved in motor vehicle accidents develop chronic widespread pain in the weeks following their accident. Pain doesn't go away on it's own but seeking help from a chiropractor  can help alleviate it.

Overuse Injuries: Overuse injuries are very common, and they can occur in any part of the body that is used repetitively in your day-to-day life. For example, the actions of standing, walking, working, and exercise and the various ways you perform them, can all take a toll on your body. If proper techniques aren’t used, overuse injuries are bound to occur. This can result in damage to your joints and muscles, therefore causing chronic pain. For example, if you perform heavy lifting at work many times a day, with improper techniques, this can lead to chronic back pain. With physical therapy, you can learn how to properly move your body in your everyday life, in order to avoid these issues.

Disease: There are many diseases that can lead to chronic pain, including arthritis, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, shingles, neuropathy as a result of diabetes, and more. These can all result in chronic pain, which can be alleviated through physical therapy treatments.
SurgerySurgical procedures are sometimes unavoidable. While they may be necessary for alleviating certain conditions you are facing, the post-surgical recovery period can result in a great deal of pain. Surgical repair of an area of the body is fine when trying to correct a structural problem, but we often compensate in our movement for the pain we experience. Weeks, months, or even years of compensatory movement often causes additional pain after surgery if the movement is not corrected. Physical therapy offers post-surgical rehabilitation services that can help speed up recovery time, relieve pain, and reduce the risk of chronic pain in the future.

Acute pain can be defined as pain that goes away on its own in a few hours, days, or weeks. An example of acute pain is a minor ankle sprain, as the pain will subside shortly within a few days.
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Chronic pain is a constant discomfort that lasts for 3-6 months or longer. There are several reasons why people may experience chronic pain, and it is the most common reason for seeking medical help. By limiting your mobility, creating a dependence on prescription drugs, or even causing anxiety and depression, it can greatly decrease your quality of life. 

How a Doctor of Chiropractic Can Help With Pain Relief
There are many different types of pain, so it’s important to go over what we’re talking about with the term chronic pain. Chiropractors take this aspect of their health care profession very seriously.

Chronic pain is basically any pain that you are feeling in an affected area long after it should have been alleviated with normal treatments. Pain medications are not meant to be taken long term. In addition to addiction, there are many other side effects that can creep in, as well.
There are a number of options to treat pain. This could be some sort of neuropathic pain that a regular chiropractic adjustment regimen could help, spinal manipulation, spinal cord stimulation, and more.

This is because pain travels through the nervous system, which is the highway through your body for signals going to and from the brain.
Often, chronic neck pain and headaches can be addressed by very basic chiropractic treatment.

If you are dealing with chronic pain issues  and you are looking to find long-lasting relief, talk with, Dr. John T. Toth, our dedicated chiropractor at Vitality Health Center by calling 651-773-9414.

​Vitality Health Center serves patients in White Bear Lake, White Bear Township, Gem Lake, Little Canada, Vadnais Heights, Mahtomedi, Maplewood, North St. Paul, Shoreview, Oakdale, Lake Elmo, Woodbury, Arden Hills, North Oaks, Pine Springs, Grant and surrounding areas.  



References1. Ussai S, Miceli L, Pisa FE. Impact of potential inappropriate NSAIDs use in chronic pain. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2015;9:2073–2077. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
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