Chronic pain is no small thing. Yet many people live with it on a daily basis. However, some researchers are beginning to take steps to help those that deal with chronic pain see some of their symptoms go away.
Previously, pain mapping had not been widely studied. Although it’s understood that pain can be an indicator of another underlying issue, taking a comprehensive look at where pain is on the body has not been a common practice in medicine. However, this study indicates that this might be a helpful tool moving forward. It allows doctors to get a better idea of what the patient is experiencing, and then taking more effective steps to help treat them with accuracy.
This is especially the case with people that suffer from fibromyalgia. This particular condition is not fully understood by researchers at this time, and it has led to misdiagnoses, improper treatment, and even ignored in the medical community. But that doesn’t make the symptoms any less painful for the person suffering from it. Finding the links between pain in different parts of the body, identifying similarities, and unifying the treatment methods can help to drastically improve the quality of life for someone suffering from fibromyalgia. Hopefully, this step forward in understanding can be used to improve treatment here, too.
Data was collected from over 21,000 chronic pain patients at University of Pittsburgh medical centers. These patients used a body map to help pinpoint exactly where their pain was located throughout their body.
One of the more interesting things that was learned from this study was that being able to describe with greater accuracy where the pain was located ultimately led to better outcomes for patients, regardless of where their pain was. This was true even three months after treatment for pain had ceased.
Too many people suffer from chronic pain, both young and old. It has a serious impact on the quality of life that someone experiences. Pain takes away our joy, makes it harder to enjoy the little things in life, and makes completing daily tasks a lot more difficult. It puts people at even greater risk of a serious injury or accident, too. Taking steps to alleviate pain is important, but so many people are unsure of where to begin. Doctors have long prescribed opioids to help manage this, and we now know that this can be even more dangerous than the pain that it is intended to try. Unfortunately, many have neglected treatment as a result of this.
That doesn’t mean that chronic pain cannot be treated. There are a lot of different methods of treating pain that do not involve opioids. We’ve discussed this at length in other places on the blog.
If you or a loved one suffer from chronic pain, there’s a chance that a little extra help might be needed when it comes to senior care. Give us a call if you’re unsure what your next steps are. Our free consultation service can help you and your family find the right care to address your chronic pain.
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