Don’t you love January? It’s a new year filled with resolutions; we all have a fresh start and new hope. For many, it is better health; the quest to restore the physique, energy, and wellness of years past. Think of how packed your local gym parking lot is in January. If you are reading this blog, you most likely suffer from chronic pain and perhaps a January gym membership isn’t realistic. Perhaps even getting out of bed isn’t realistic some days. Anyone who has ever endured the constant struggle of chronic pain can relate. Do you feel controlled by your pain? You are not alone. Like New Year’s resolutions, people fizzle out on trying to get better and accept their pain. No one has to accept a life with pain, and everyone has the right to strive for a happier and healthier life. Chronic pain is very complex and needs to be assessed, diagnosed, and treated by specifically trained pain management professionals. With an individualized treatment plan specifically designed to meet your needs, you can conquer your pain and have a fresh start.
Pain management is still a fairly new specialty, but it is growing in demand with every passing day. The reasons for this are diverse, but here are a few examples. One, we are living the most demanding, fast-paced lives in the history of our country. We are expected to work long hours, drive long commutes, and still maintain the responsibilities and demands of our homes, families, etc. The wear and tear catches up with our joints and spine. Next, the practice of medicine is advancing, creating increased success rates. For example, more people are surviving from otherwise life-threatening diseases than ever before, resulting in survivors that are left with crippling chronic pain. Lastly, primary care physicians are not specifically trained or board certified in pain management. For these reasons, patients and other members of the medical community are turning to pain management specialists for their expertise.
There are ultimately two methods of managing chronic pain: medical management and interventional therapy. Medical management invokes the use of opioid (narcotic) and non-opioid analgesics. Opioids are associated with many risks, including itching, nausea, constipation, as well as accidental overdose that can result in death, a disastrous consequence that has been increasingly widely reported in the media over the past several years. Addiction and physical dependence are well known risks associated with the use of opioid pain killers. Non-opioid analgesics include muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen, anti-depressants and anti-convulsants which play an important role in regulating the nervous system’s response to pain. Interventional therapies, on the other hand, treat the specific site of the pain, and avoid the toxic side-effects to the rest of the body. These nerve blocks address the root cause of the pain, and help confirm the provider’s suspicion of just where the pain is coming from. The ultimate goal of the interventional pain specialist is to treat pain with the least impact on the life and lifestyle of the patient, and many find significant relief after just one treatment.
In closing, it’s a new year. It’s a new beginning. If you suffer from chronic pain, it’s time to get your life back. New Year’s resolutions have a way of losing momentum as the year progresses. Don’t let it happen to you. The medical providers at MidSouth Pain Treatment Center are here to help. Through state-of-the-art treatment and therapies, we can return you to the life you love without the effects of chronic pain. We offer five convenient locations throughout the Mid-South and accept self-referrals. This means that you don’t need to be referred by your family doctor to make an appointment. And, we don’t require an MRI to get started. So, revamp your New Year’s resolutions and contact your friends at MidSouth Pain Treatment Center. Pain stops now. The “new you” starts now.
To visit MidSouth Pain Treatment Center’s website, please click here.
To schedule an appointment or if you would like to discuss more of this, contact us today to find a Midsouth Pain Treatment Center branch near you in Tennessee or Mississippi.
