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- 3 out of 10 adults suffer from chronic pain in France.
- Pain is personal. However, the tools allow it to be evaluated. Pain questionnaires and scales provide the possibility to describe pain and measure its intensity as well as its impact on quality of life.
- According to the Ifop / Inserm / Ensemble contre les rhumatismes survey conducted in 2016, more than 1 in 2 French people suffer from osteoarthritis and a third of people between the ages of 18 and 24 suffer from joint pain.
Shoulder, knee, back, muscles, finger joints… The pain can settle anywhere, especially if it is not treated. Unfortunately, this often happens.
“People can overlook the occasional severe age-related pain and learn to live with it.”says Dr. Edgar Ross, MD, a physician at the Pain Management Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Harvard facility.
“But ignoring any level of pain often leads to more serious problems that are difficult to treat and manage.”the expert laments.
When do we talk about chronic pain?
The acute pain is usually the result of damage to the body’s tissues. This can come from a physical trauma such as a sports injury or fracture, a medical intervention, or even a domestic accident such as bumping your toe or cutting yourself. This pain usually goes away within a few days or a few weeks maximum.
We talk about chronic pain when it has been present for at least two months, long after the injury or illness has healed. Its symptoms and severity vary from person to person. It is similar to a dull ache, burning, stabbing, electric shock feeling, tingling or numbness.
“Chronic pain can be related to tissue damage or ongoing inflammation, as in the case of arthritis. Often, however, lingering pain signals are coming from the brain, even when the nociceptive pain is gone. The brain has rewired itself to feel pain.” Even when there is no active involvement in the tissues of the body.he explains Harvard on its website.
How to stop the pain before it becomes chronic?
Without proper attention and care, acute pain can become chronic. Dr. Edgar Ross shares 3 tips to stop it from continuing:
- Asking for help: Injuries can turn into an ongoing problem because the patient did not deal with the problem quickly. “People think they can live with it, or change their lifestyle to accommodate the pain, so they don’t get the right treatment.”explains the health professional.
- Overcoming fear of treatment: Parfois, les genders ont besoin de mouvements réguliers, d’exercices ou de thérapie physique dans le cadre du traitement de leur douleur aiguë, mais comme cela peut faire mal ou être inconfortable à faire, ils l’vitent. condition”warns the doctor.
- Don’t ignore pain: The best way to prevent acute pain from becoming chronic is to face it directly. “Don’t ignore it. Seek medical advice and follow appropriate pain management, whether it’s heat and ice therapy, physical therapy, medication, rest, or a combination of these.”Dr. Ross advises. The longer acute pain persists without proper treatment, the more likely it is to become chronic.he adds.
