A Full Service Approach to Overcoming Chronic Pain
If you’ve struggled with chronic back pain, neck pain, or joint pain, this webinar’s for you! We gathered a panel of Nice Healthcare clinicians who specialize in primary care, physical therapy, and mental health to discuss what is considered chronic pain, what causes it, and how to manage it effectively.
A coordinated approach that includes a mix of proven, effective treatments can help you recover from chronic pain and get back to living life on your terms.
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is long-standing pain that persists beyond a typical recovery period–often after the initial injury or illness has been treated.
An even more accurate definition is pain that is no longer useful. Pain isn't a signal that something’s wrong in the body. It’s an alarm system. This alarm system within the body is highly effective most of the time–for example, alerting us to move away from an open flame. But other times, it can continue going off when no actual “danger” is present.
After an injury, you’ll feel “acute” pain–which is sharp, intense, and short-lived. But sometimes, the nervous system learns to perceive this initial discomfort as damage to the body, and you’ll continue to feel pain long after the body’s healed. Many people experience pain without any injury or damage being present in the body at all. This is chronic pain, not a useful part of our natural alarm system.
What Causes Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain tends to send a complex give and take between the brain and body. Psychological and social factors can also influence the pain you feel by sending signals to your brain that lead to physical sensations.
Some things that can trigger these signals in the brain are:
Physical injury
Anxiety, depression, or negative thoughts
Environmental factors, such as feeling unsafe
How to Treat Chronic Pain
The most effective treatment for chronic pain is a well-rounded approach that addresses your pain from multiple angles. This can include a primary care provider (PCP), a physical therapist, and a mental healthcare provider, for example.
Primary Care for Chronic Pain
Your primary care provider is your first point of contact and will help you coordinate the rest of your treatment. They can also help you manage your pain with medications, supplements, and/or nutrition changes if necessary.
Your PCP will evaluate your symptoms, when your pain started, whether you have a history of injury or trauma, and how you’re currently managing the pain. They’ll also connect you with a physical therapist and mental health therapist, if indicated.
Physical Therapy for Chronic Pain
A physical therapist can help you understand why pain is occurring the way it is and teach you how to move without pain–or with tolerable amounts of pain.
Your physical therapist will do a “movement screen” to better understand what triggers your pain, teach you exercises to strengthen muscles and alleviate pain during movement, and help you make a plan to get back to your daily routine.
Mental Health Therapy for Chronic Pain
Therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), as well as tools like deep breathing, grounding, and building a sense of personal control can help you manage and even reduce your pain. Mental health therapy is also important because people with chronic pain tend to have higher rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, self-harm, and suicide.
Stressful or negative thoughts and emotions can also directly affect the healing of an injury, as well as extend the cycle of chronic pain. You may avoid certain positions or activities due to fear of having pain. These behavioral changes can negatively impact your daily life, which can cause more thoughts and emotions that continue the pain cycle.
This is why mental health therapy is important to treat chronic pain: to break the pain cycle and help you start making positive changes in your life.
Nice Can Help You Manage Your Chronic Pain
Chronic pain isn’t a quick and easy fix. But a team-based approach lets you and your clinicians work together, using multiple kinds of care to develop a patient-centered and effective treatment plan–so you can get your life back. And with Nice Healthcare, it’s super simple to get started.
All you have to do is schedule a virtual visit with a primary care provider through our app–usually within one day. During your appointment, your clinician will evaluate your symptoms, give you a diagnosis, and start coordinating your treatment.
You don’t have to live in pain forever. Our clinicians can provide the support and relief you need–at your convenience, and from the comfort of your home.
If you’re an employer who’s interested in offering Nice’s full-service approach to chronic pain to your employees, feel free to visit our employer page.