Chronic Pain Management

Pain is the most common reason people seek advice from their physician and one in five adults suffer from chronic pain (persistent pain). Despite these staggering numbers, the healthcare community has struggled to provide effective treatments to address the chronic pain from which millions of people suffer. These individuals often find themselves seeking treatment from various healthcare providers only to find that there is no easy answer. Many treatments like manipulation, massage, modalities and medications provide temporary relief but fail to address the underlying cause for the persistent pain.

 

As it turns out, chronic pain is much different from that of acute pain. Acute pain typically resolves while an injury heals (2-6 months) as the nervous system stops sending danger messages to the brain. Chronic pain, on the other hand, is caused by a dysfunction of the nervous system, when the nerves continue to send danger messages and the brain loses the ability to appropriately filter and interpret these messages. In fact, chronic pain can persist long after an injury has healed and even in the absence of an injury in the first place.