Almost all of us have experienced pain at some point in our lives or the other. The aching shoulder, the throbbing headache, the sore back, a cut on the finger, the bee-sting, are all varied kinds of pain commonly experienced by people across the world. What makes pain so difficult to bear, is often the unpleasant sensations and the gnawing, pinching or aching feeling that come with it. Sometimes, it is also the ‘fear of having to endure pain’ that makes it more difficult to tolerate. As pain management consultants state, pain may result from injuries, diseases, emotional stress, environmental trauma or even social strains. In fact, sometimes in rare situations; some kinds of pain may never even get diagnosed, pain management doctors note.

In context to this, the website, Patient.co.uk observes how- “The simplistic view of the pain-producing system (‘hard-wiring’) in which pain sensations are conducted via the nerves to the spinal cord fails to explain such phenomena as phantom limb pain and pain experienced after cordotomy.” Pain specialists attribute this occurrence to “plasticity, in which the central nervous system (CNS) adapts to new situations and ‘rewires’ itself” accordingly, it states.

Can Pain Management Experts Really Relieve Pain

Many, who have visited their local physicians and still have not found relief, often feel hopeless and pessimistic, when asked to see consultants in the field of pain management. Many refuse to believe, that there is any respite in sight at all, and give up trying altogether. However, specialists equipped with their expertise and skill sets, are managing to convince patients to change their minds!

Specialists Recognize the Adverse Effects of Pain

Consultants believe that, timely and effective treatment of pain can save patients and their families, a lot of stress and heartache. No one realizes better that them, how nagging pain can sometimes, not just hamper a patient’s professional life, but also his/her personal life and lifestyle too! Pain if left “mistreated or undertreated” can result in “depression, insomnia, lethargy and reduced physical and mental functioning,” informs the ‘Patient.co.uk’ website. That is why, specialist consultants, are very careful about correctly evaluating and diagnosing the pain.

Ways in Which Pain Management Specialists Diagnose and Treat Pain

To accurately manage and treat pain, these health care experts, ask patients questions about the location of pain in their bodies and the length of time their pain lasts. They thoroughly investigate, the exact nature of pain, assessing whether- it sets in quickly or slowly; is acute or chronic; sporadic or continuous; malignant or harmless; through which they assess the causes responsible for it. Thereafter, they focus on understanding, how pain is affecting the patient’s life physically, emotionally, psychologically and socially. Based on all these factors, they formulate a pain management strategy that effectives stops, controls or relieves pain, either permanently or temporarily.

Pain Management Approaches Used

Pain management clinics usually have doctors, physical therapists, and counselors, who interact with patients to determine effective ways to treat, control and manage pain. Sometimes, pain management clinics, may see consultants playing all three roles. Pain management techniques can be classified in terms of their invasiveness. Simpler approaches involve non-invasive, drug free pain management techniques like exercise, manual therapies, application of hot and cold packs, electrotherapy and recommending, better behavioral methods that enable patients to respond better to pain.

Consultants in the sphere may also choose to prescribe, from a variety of medications that effectively control pain, and provide relief; all the time ensuring, that the patient’s dependence on addictive pain killers is at a minimum. They may prescribe “analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, muscle relaxants,narcotic medications,antidepressants and anticonvulsants and neuromodulating medications,” states ‘Spine Health.’ This apart, when pain becomes increasingly complicated, patients may also be administered injections, physiotherapy and in extremely serious cases, even asked to undergo surgery.

About the author : This article was written by Rafael Knike, a writer on medicine and science, who regularly seeks advice from consultants on the latest pain management techniques.
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