What is chronic pain?
Chronic pain can have a serious impact on your quality of life. In simple terms, pain that lasts beyond the expected healing time for an injury, or is persistent and lasting longer than 3-6 months is considered chronic pain. There is a wide range of possible causes, and it can be utterly debilitating to people who experience it, even if they look fine on the outside. People with chronic pain are 5 times more likely than pain-free people to be severely limited in their daily life. 1 in 5 Australians over 45 are living with chronic pain.
Living with chronic pain is often harder than people realise. It can have such a significant effect on lifestyle that it also leads to poor mental health. The causes and symptoms of chronic pain are varied. Chronic pain is a highly complex condition, meaning that it affects each person differently and requires an individualised approach. The levels of pain experienced can be consistent or they can vary over days or months. This can mean some people find it hard to understand how to manage their pain. It can also be difficult for them to communicate their needs to others, as it can be hard to find the right words to explain their experience to others who have not been through it.
What are the causes of chronic pain?
Chronic pain is a complicated biological phenomenon. It can have a range of causes, from musculoskeletal injuries to illnesses such as cancer or autoimmune diseases. This means that there is no single cause of chronic pain and no single set of symptoms. Because chronic pain is caused by such a varied range of conditions and injuries, it does not have a “one size” fits all treatment. Everybody will experience chronic pain in a clinically unique way. Even two people with the same condition can experience their chronic pain entirely differently! Due to this, we treat each client with appropriate time and care, providing an individual assessment and plan for ongoing pain management that is specific to your needs. Some of the common causes of chronic pain are:
- Nerve pain
- Headaches
- Post-surgical pain
- Chronic health conditions such as endometriosis or fibromyalgia
- Genetic conditions
How physiotherapy can help manage symptoms
A physiotherapist is trained with a degree in anatomy and physiology. They can work with other medical professionals to help manage chronic pain, or diagnose and assess your pain on their own, depending on the cause. They can conduct a thorough assessment, and work with you to develop an individual symptom management plan to help build strength and function in an achievable way. They’ll support you to understand your own body and anatomy while making changes wherever possible to help improve your symptoms.
How PhysioNorth can help
At PhysioNorth we utilise a unique treatment approach, with fewer machines and a focus on a holistic ConnectTherapy approach. That means we look at you as a whole person, and not just one pain point. We have longer standard appointment times because we treat you with care and consideration, allowing us to take the time to help you with chronic pain, no matter how complex the cause.
We are able to puzzle out referred pain to correct problems at the root cause. We call that a breakdown of the driver of the pain – what we do is alter the connection between the brain and the muscles to improve movement. We aim to train muscles, improve posture, release overactive muscles and prevent the pain from returning.
If you have been concerned about chronic pain, don’t wait. Help could be just around the corner.