Pain Management

It's likely that in the past few years you've heard a lot about the opioid crisis. Opioid use has had an unprecedented impact, even being responsible for a decreased average American life expectancy, and many medical professionals and services have taken steps to reduce prescriptions for pain relievers. Pain management programs have adapted in response, by adopting a diverse set of strategies for addressing both acute and chronic pain. Every patient's experience with pain is different, but below you'll find an overview of how it's classified and the different forms managing it can take.

Classifying Pain

Managing pain first starts with understanding what type it is. Loosely speaking, pain is traditionally divided up into two categories:

Acute Pain

Pain of recent onset, that is short-term and typically from an identifiable cause.

Chronic Pain

Also called persistent pain, this is an ongoing or recurrent pain that lasts beyond the usual course of illness or healing from injury. This pain is often classified as lasting more than 3 to 6 months, as well as adversely affecting the patient's well-being.

Chronic pain is also defined as, simply, pain that continues when it should not. It is classified even further:

• Nociceptive pain: caused by ongoing tissue injury.
• Neuropathic pain: caused by damage to the central nervous system.

Managing Pain

Pain intervention takes many forms, as well.

Passive Intervention

Treatments delivered by a physician or therapist that require no active participation by the patient. Examples include:

• Massage
• Acupuncture
• Surgery
• Injections
• Medication

Active Intervention

Treatments that require the patient to exert energy as part of the process. This typically involves interaction with a doctor or therapist. Examples include:

• Yoga
• Physical Therapy
• Occupational Therapy

Self-Directed Intervention

This can include anything a patient can carry out independently beyond an initial period of instruction. Self-directed intervention can range include many different techniques and approaches to improving your own quality of life. These may include:

• Self-care techniques: mindfulness meditation, progressive relaxation exercises.
• Nutrition management.
• Medication scheduling.
• Exercise regimens: yoga, tai chi.
• Physical reconditioning.

Functional Restoration

This is a holistic approach to pain management with a goal of improving or restoring a patient's enjoyment of and engagement with their own life. This approaches not only the pain and its source, but related psychological and social aspects of managing pain and physical function. These can include:

• Improving mood.
• Maintaining sleep quality.
• Reducing reliance on medication, especially pain relievers.
• Addressing anxiety or fear stemming from chronic pain or injury.
• Increasing social engagement.
• Ergonomic accommodation at home and work.
• Ensuring employment quality.