If you are living with pain every day of your life, or you have a pain that comes and goes and affects your ability to live a normal life, know that you are not alone. Millions of individuals in the U.S. have what is known as chronic pain or persistent pain (i.e., pain that lasts for longer than three months).
Living with ongoing pain can be extremely difficult as you are no doubt well aware. It can cause many other problems too including mental health issues like anxiety, stress, and depression. In fact, there is a strong link between physical pain and mental health conditions.
What can be even harder for those with chronic pain is that many find it hard to comprehend what it is like. They might even judge someone with chronic pain as being weak or say that it is all in their head. This is even more true for those who do not have an obvious reason for their pain. As you can imagine, these attitudes make it hard for those with chronic pain to seek the help they need. But it is possible to break the cycle of chronic pain.
Where to Get Help
Sadly, some doctors do not have the time to give to patients with chronic pain so they will simply provide a prescription for medication in the hopes that the pain will be relieved and eventually go away. Those doctors that know their limitations in this regard might refer their patients to a pain clinic, where special pain doctors have the time and expertise to deal with a variety of pain types.
The pain doctors at Utah medical card clinic, KindlyMD have plenty of experience helping patients who wrongly believe they are never going to overcome their pain. They know that chronic pain and mental health issues are a cycle, with one affecting the other. With this knowledge, they can provide their patients with full treatment plans, designed to treat the person as a whole and identify the cause of the pain rather than simply trying to mask the symptoms with medication.
What to Expect at a Pain Clinic
If you have been referred to a pain clinic, you will be given a full assessment by a physician who specializes in the field of pain. Pain management physicians have the time to provide their patients with a complete evaluation that will help them learn more about their history of illness as well as any family history of illness.
They will ask many questions about the patient’s pain as this will give them a clearer picture of what might be causing it. Physical examinations as well as screenings and lab tests might also be carried out.
Once the doctors have done a full assessment, they will be ready to create a plan of care for the patient that is likely to include a variety of treatments. At times, medication may be prescribed alongside other treatments such as physical therapy or psychotherapy. Or perhaps the patient might benefit from taking medical marijuana.
The pain doctor will discuss all the treatment options with the patient as well as the reasons why they believe it is appropriate. If the patient is not comfortable with any part of the plan, they are free to ask for it to be changed.
Conclusion
Chronic pain is not something that you have to live with. Nor do you need to take medication for the rest of your life. Pain clinics help individuals all over the country break the cycle of chronic pain with a variety of treatments.
