Presbyterian | Spring 2019 | Your Story

www.phs.org/centennialcare 7 Improving quality of life with chronic pain conditions Pain is a response to a lot of things, such as general physical health and physiological, biological, and psychological factors. Chronic pain is pain that lasts for a long time, sometimes even after the cause of pain is gone. It can also affect emotional and physical health. It can increase stress, reduce the quality of life, and cause disability and possible opioid dependency. Research shows that surgery does not always get rid of pain. And taking prescription drugs to help with pain may give only 30 to 50 percent relief. Pain medicine may make problems with pain worse. Eat well and exercise. Pain management starts with making a few small positive changes. Eating well and losing weight can help with pain. Every pound of extra weight puts about four pounds of extra pressure on the knees. Extra weight makes the pain worse. Most pain specialists say that physical activity can: ● ● Reduce pain ● ● Improve mobility ● ● Help you keep a healthy weight ● ● Have a positive effect on your mood ● ● Improve other health conditions Get plenty of restful sleep. Among those with chronic pain, about 60 percent have poor sleep. Pain disturbs quality sleep, and poor sleep makes pain worse. Sleep problems that last more than a month may get better with behavioral sleep treatment. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI) improves sleep in 70 to 80 percent of those with poor sleep. It works better than taking pain medication, and the results last longer. Try to limit and manage stress. Stress can make it harder for people with chronic pain. It can have a negative impact on their moods and routines. Stress can also make pain worse. It can lead to more sensitivity and longer episodes of pain. Although it may not be possible to avoid stress, you can change how you cope with it. Changing the way you think about a stressful situation and improving how you respond to it can improve your overall quality of life. Use your resources. Presbyterian’s network includes many options to help with pain that don’t use medication. They are offered in individual and group therapy, such as: ● ● Myofascial therapy ● ● Occupational and physical therapy ● ● Pool therapy ● ● Tai Chi ● ● Nutrition counseling ● ● Diabetes management Another therapy you can take is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP). CBT-CP helps to adjust situations that lead to pain. Talk to your healthcare provider to find out which therapies are right for you.