How to Deal with Chronic Pain.

About 20% of adults in the U.S. experience chronic pain every day or almost every day. Chronic pain is different from acute pain. Acute pain resolves typically within twelve weeks. Chronic pain persists either beyond twelve weeks or the expected time for healing. Chronic pain is often secondary to traumatic injury or medical conditions like diabetes, cancer, etc. Examples of neurological disorders accompanied by chronic pain include multiple sclerosis, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, etc. Most commonly, chronic pain can affect your back, hips, knees, feet, head, etc.

A variety of factors influence the severity and time course of pain. According to the U.S. Pain Foundation, older age, gender, genetics, history of having surgery, being overweight, and stress- and trauma-related psychological conditions can have an influence on pain.

Your brain is primarily responsible for pain perception on biological and psychological levels. Since pain is unpleasant, the awareness of pain contributes to its interpretation as a threat of actual or potential damage occurring to the body. Not surprisingly, this interpretation results in increased stress, leading to elevations in anxiety, irritability, problems with thinking, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and other psychological and neuropsychological symptoms. Depression and anxiety are psychological conditions that affect people with chronic pain bidirectionally. For example, chronic pain can lead to depression and vice versa.

The current recommended treatment of chronic pain includes a combination of pharmacological interventions, no-pharmacological interventions, and psychological treatment. The types of psychological treatment used for patients with chronic pain may include Medical Adjustment Counseling®, Biofeedback therapy, Physical therapy, etc.

Here at NRS|Lifespan, our comprehensive team offers a unique approach to treating chronic  pain via Medical Adjustment Counseling® (MAC). MAC® is a specialized, counseling approach that is tailored to the individual’s unique health needs.  The goal is to improve coping skills, understand your medical condition, and learn to apply practical strategies to deal with your chronic pain.

For more information, please call our office.

Eleonora Gallagher, Psy.D.
Neuropsychology Post-Doctoral Fellow
NJ Permit: TP# 213-079

References

1. Hadjistavropoulos, T., & Craig, K. D. (2004). Pain: psychological perspectives. Psychology Press.
2. Johnson M. I. (2019). The Landscape of Chronic Pain: Broader Perspectives. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 55(5), 182. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina55050182
3. Yong, R. J., Mullins, P.M., & Bhattacharyya, N. Prevalence of chronic pain among adults in the United States. PAIN: February 2022 – Volume 163 – Issue 2 – p e328-e332doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002291
4. www.uspainfoundation.org