Chronic pain

When we experience pain, we usually almost automatically reach for over-the-counter painkillers. While they can handle acute pain quite well, they are much less effective or even ineffective for chronic pain (if they can't “find the source of the pain”, they don’t provide relief). In addition, none of these agents should be taken for more than 2 weeks. We always discourage the use of painkillers on your own – if pharmacology is to be part of chronic pain management, it should be administered only under the treating physician supervision. Outlining a treatment regimen for chronic pain is basically impossible, as methods should be selected individually. In addition, the treatment of chronic pain is multidirectional or even holistic in nature and includes many different therapies, often used in combination. These include pharmacotherapy, physiotherapy and physical therapy (physical treatments, such as electrotherapy, heat or cold therapy, vibrotherapy), therapeutic blocks (of peripheral nerves and the sympathetic nervous system), surgical treatment, used most often when some structures press on the nerves, psychological treatment (mainly cognitive-behavioural therapy). If the cause of chronic pain is known, the first step is to try to cure the ailment in question. This is not always possible and many diseases can only be inhibited. This includes, for example, rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. If the causes of the pain remain unknown, a physician focuses on treating the pain and improving the patient’s quality of life. Specialists have been emphasizing the importance of non-pharmacological methods of treating chronic pain for years, especially physiotherapy and rehabilitation. No less important are physical exercises under the guidance of an instructor (kinesitherapy). Of course, they are performed when the pain is at least partially relieved. Physiotherapy and physical therapy approaches have at least a few main goals: analgesic action (depending on the location and origin of the pain, these may include electrotherapy, cryotherapy, heat therapy or vibration therapy); muscle strengthening and/or relaxation action (muscle strengthening is particularly important for spinal pain or joint pain - better stabilization protects structures from degradation - in turn, relaxing overly tense muscles can reduce pain sensations on the one hand, and counteract changes that can be caused by adopting a “pain posture” on the other - e.g. bending the body forward in the case of pain in the lumbar spine); improving the quality of life (we all know how important physical activity is for physical and mental health, unfortunately, for a person suffering from chronic pain, performing even the simplest exercises is often almost unimaginable – in such a situation, a physiotherapist can come to the rescue, and the satisfaction from jointly performed exercises will certainly improve mental well-being and perhaps motivate to take on further challenges that at the moment seem impossible). Chronic pain is said to become a suffering for the subject. As a result, it can lead to depression, social isolation, and “shutting down in pain.” This makes treatment even more difficult. That's why it's so important to use psychological help, so you can understand the emotions you're feeling, tame your fears, learn to cope with pain, manage stress and open up to others, including – your closest family members.