Chronic Pain
What You Should Know About Chronic Pain
Although we all feel pain from time to time, someone with chronic pain has been experiencing pain for over three months. It’s a condition that affects over 45 million U.S. adults and can significantly impact one's ability to do work and other daily activities. Over time, this can weigh down on your mental health, as chronic pain can affect your quality of life and may place limits on what you can do. In addition, it’s not uncommon for chronic pain sufferers to also develop conditions like depression or anxiety, which inevitably makes the pain worse. If you have chronic pain and find it challenging to manage alone, it may be time to visit a doctor and consider therapy in San Diego.
The Symptoms of Chronic Pain
Individuals with chronic pain may experience a wide range of symptoms, but some of the most common ones are:
Stiffness
Stinging
Throbbing
Burning
Aching
Soreness
Squeezing
Shooting
In addition to the above, many people also begin to have mood swings, no appetite, fatigue, and trouble falling asleep.
Do Certain Conditions Cause Chronic Pain?
What’s interesting about chronic pain is that it can start with no apparent cause and be off and on. However, individuals can pinpoint what is causing their pain for the most part. Typically, it results from a health condition they’re dealing with or an injury they sustained. Health issues that might lead to chronic pain include cancer, infections, arthritis, fibromyalgia, nerve damage, migraines, and back problems.
What Can You Do About Chronic Pain?
The good news is you don’t have to just suffer through chronic pain. The first thing you need to do is contact your primary care physician so they can conduct a number of tests. Those tests may include blood work, MRIs, urine samples, nerve conduction studies, and more. Your provider will review the results of those tests to determine what’s causing your pain and then offer you some treatment options.
Your exact treatment protocol will depend on what’s causing your pain, but for the most part, it’ll involve medications and making lifestyle changes. Sometimes your provider will suggest different therapies as well, such as acupuncture, physical therapy, relaxation therapy, and mental health therapy in San Diego. The latter is especially important if you’re experiencing high stress along with chronic pain.
The Impact of Chronic Pain on Your Mental Health
The correlation between pain and stress is quite significant. So much so that many providers make antidepressants a part of their patient's treatment plan if they’re dealing with chronic pain. They understand that individuals experiencing tons of stress will likely experience even worse pain. This is because not only does pain hurt, but it also interferes with your ability to get good sleep, eat a meal, or participate in activities you once enjoyed. In addition, these things can make your pain seem more intense, so it’s best to address it with therapy in San Diego.
Address Chronic Pain With Therapy in San Diego
If you’re experiencing chronic pain and it’s bringing about a lot of stress in your life, consider finding a therapist in the San Diego area. They’ll be able to address your situation, listen to your needs, and give you some coping strategies to handle the circumstances in your life. Chronic pain may change your life, but therapy can help you with self-acceptance, emotion management and restore your sense of self-purpose. So schedule an appointment today to see how the licensed therapists at Perlman Wellness can help you increase your confidence and well-being.