Pain Management
Pain is not a stimulus but an experience. Pain experiences involve thoughts, memories and emotions. Our internal systems (autonomic, hormonal & immune) communicate with the brain. Thus, we may feel that our pain can be amplified when we feel anxious, depressed and stressed. Research has also shown that other factors such as poor sleep and stress can sensitize the nervous system.
Chronic pain:
Chronic pain is one example of this complex pain experience. Chronic pain is pain that has persisted for more than 3 months, with no identifiable cause to the pain or not responding to treatment or medications.
Persistent and unresolved pain often results in:
- General weakness and fatigue
- Loss of fitness
- Tense/tight muscles, reduced flexibility
- Emotional distress
- Reduce quality of life
Management of chronic pain requires a multi-disciplinary bio-psycho-social approach. Physiotherapist work as part of the multi-disciplinary team to help patients with chronic pain by:
- Educating patients about pain
- Modification of unhelpful beliefs and responses
- Understanding about neuroplasticity and pain
- Improve their physical fitness using graded exercise and activities
- Reverse the negative effects of inactivity
- Empowering patients to adopt a more active role in managing their pain
Persistent pain
Although no cure exists for persistent pain, this does not mean that nothing can be done to improve your symptoms. There are many things that contribute to pain and learning how to work on each of these is usually the best way to improve your symptoms. Regularly exercising, gradually exposing your body to normal movements, improving your sleep and focussing on your mental health and emotional wellbeing can all improve pain and function. Learning how to make changes in how you do your day-to-day activities can also be helpful in managing your symptoms.
PRP includes the following components:
- Cardiovascular training
- Endurance training
- Muscle strengthening
- Breathing exercise
- Education session
- Goals setting
Benefits of PRP include:
- Improved quality of life
- Reduced exacerbations / hospitalisations / doctor visits
- Improved management of respiratory symptoms especially shortness of breath
- Improved coping strategies for anxiety and disease-related stress
- Increased knowledge about pulmonary disease
- Enhanced exercise tolerance and functional ability