What is chronic pain?
Pain is either acute or chronic. Acute pain is usually due to an injury and subsides as your injury heals. Chronic pain, on the other hand, lasts 12 weeks or longer. It could stem from an injury, but linger after your injury heals, or it could be due to a wear-and-tear condition or nerve damage. The most prevalent types of chronic pain include:
- Headache
- Postsurgical pain
- Traumatic pain
- Cancer pain
- Arthritis pain
- Neurogenic pain
- Psychogenic pain
Chronic pain is variable. You may have constant or intermittent pain. It could be a dull ache or a sharp stabbing pain. Your pain may change from day-to-day. It could stay the same or worsen with time. For example, millions of people suffer from chronic headaches and migraines. The headaches may come and go and range in intensity.
Your risk of developing chronic pain is higher if you’ve had an injury or surgery. Being overweight also increases your chances of chronic pain. Chronic pain can also increase your risk of developing a mental health condition like depression or anxiety.
What are the different types of chronic pain?
You can develop chronic pain anywhere in your body, and many conditions and injuries lead to the condition. For example, some common conditions that cause chronic pain include:
- Migraines
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Endometriosis
- Inflammatory bowel disease
You might develop chronic pain after having surgery or following a musculoskeletal injury.
How is chronic pain diagnosed?
At Bellevue Pain and Wellness PLLC, Dr. Bowers provides comprehensive exams to assess your chronic pain and identify its cause. He begins by reviewing your medical history and talking about your overall health and lifestyle.
While some types of chronic pain are easy to identify, conditions like fibromyalgia require more testing to rule out other conditions. Dr. Bowers may order blood tests, X-rays, MRIs, and nerve conduction studies to gather information about your condition.
How is chronic pain treated?
Dr. Bowers creates customized treatment plans to alleviate your pain and enhance your overall health and quality of life. Depending on your needs, he can prescribe pain medication, although he often begins with a low dose and only uses higher doses when necessary.
Dr. Bowers offers a wide range of interventional treatments, including radiofrequency ablation, steroid injections, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. He may recommend physical therapy and lifestyle modifications. If conventional pain treatments aren’t effective, he may prescribe Spravato®, an esketamine intranasal spray. Esketamine only includes one of the two mirror-image molecules that comprise ketamine, but still provides an effective treatment.
If you have chronic pain, call Bellevue Pain and Wellness PLLC or make an appointment online today.
Pain Management Specialist in Bellevue, Washington and servicing areas in Seattle, Washington
