When Chronic Pain Becomes too Much in Vancouver
Pain is a signal in your nervous system that something may be wrong. It is an unpleasant feeling, such as a prick, tingle, sting, burn, or ache. Pain may be sharp or dull. You may feel pain in one area of your body, or all over.
There are two types: acute pain and chronic pain. Acute pain lets you know that you may be injured or a have problem you need to take care of. Chronic pain is different. The pain may last for weeks, months, or even years. The original cause may have been an injury or infection. There may be an ongoing cause of pain, such as arthritis or cancer. In some cases there is no clear cause. Environmental and psychological factors can make chronic pain worse in Vancouver.
Chronic pain is pain that lasts for over three months. The pain can be there all the time, or it may come and go. It can happen anywhere in your body.
Chronic pain can interfere with your daily activities, such as working, having a social life and taking care of yourself or others. It can lead to depression, anxiety and trouble sleeping, which can make your pain worse. This response creates a cycle that’s difficult to break.
It is a very common condition, and one of the most common reasons why someone seeks medical care. Approximately 25% of adults in the United States experience chronic pain.
There are different types of chronic pain, including nerve pain, pain caused by a bone, muscle or joint condition, as well as pain due to cancer.
Chronic pain can also be caused by illnesses such as migraine, osteoporosis, arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions, or after an injury or surgery. Sometimes there is no apparent cause of chronic pain.
Normally, if you have an injury, nerves carry signals from the injured part of your body to the brain, telling the brain that there’s a problem. The brain reads these signals as pain.
Acute pain can develop into a chronic pain condition if left untreated or if the acute pain is poorly treated. The longer pain remains untreated, the greater the risk of pain becoming chronic.
Many older adults have chronic pain. Women also report having more chronic pain than men, and they are at a greater risk for many pain conditions. Some people have two or more chronic pain conditions.
Chronic pain can affect almost all parts of your life. Your sleep, mood, activity, and energy level can all be disrupted by pain. Being tired, depressed, and out of shape can make the pain worse and harder to cope with.
Pain can become such a problem that it interferes with your life’s work and normal activities. You may then go through what is called a “pain cycle.” You may become focused on the pain, which makes you depressed and irritable. This often leads to problems with sleeping (insomnia) and to extreme tiredness (fatigue). That leads to more irritability, depression, and pain. This is the pain cycle. The urge to stop the pain can make some people dependent on medicines. It may cause others to have repeated surgeries or try questionable treatments. This can often be as hard on the family as it is on the person who has the pain.
Chronic pain is not always curable, but treatments can help. There are drug treatments, including pain relievers. There are also non-drug treatments, such as acupuncture, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery.
One of the most effective treatments that we use in our clinic now is the AVACEN Treatment Method. a noninvasive pain management technology platform for people at normal body temperature. This technology platform uses a microprocessor-controlled chamber to surround the hand with a slight negative pressure, while adding heat to the palm. This negative pressure gently expands the volume of blood in the palm’s unique vascular networks while heat is simultaneously transferred from the computer managed palm pad into these expanded vascular networks. Simply place your hand into the AVACEN device for a comfortable treatment session. Session duration can range from ten to thirty minutes depending on your needs. The AVACEN device works with the body’s natural adaptations. It’s easy to use and noninvasive.
If you’d like to try the AVACEN device in our clinic, or speak to someone about purchasing your own device, please email us at info@healinghousedoctor.com.
