If you’re living with chronic pain, you’re not alone — and you don’t have to deal with it
As annoying — and agonizing — as it can be, pain is a common and important signal from your body. It’s a sign that something needs attention, and, once you’ve given it that attention and the pain lessens, its absence is an indication that you’re healing.
But what happens when your pain continues or you’re experiencing pain without having injured yourself? When pain lasts three months or longer, it’s considered chronic pain. That doesn’t mean, however, that you must simply deal with it. Whether you’ve been managing with an achy back, pain from cancer, diabetic neuropathy, or any number of other conditions — for three months or years — there is help. Learn more about what causes chronic pain and available treatment options.
Back and neck pain, including herniated discs and sciatica, is a common type of chronic pain. However, chronic pain can also include nerve, joint and muscle pain in other parts of the body; cancer-related pain; headaches; arthritis; and postsurgical pain if it lasts for a long time.
You might think that your pain must be debilitating and life-altering in order to be considered chronic pain. That’s not quite the case. Chronic pain can be severe, but you might also be experiencing chronic pain even if your pain is mild. Your pain might feel:
burning or stinging
dull and aching
shooting or electrical
sore, tight or stiff
throbbing
If you’re feeling as if your pain is so debilitating that you’re having problems moving, having challenges with your balance or are experiencing depression because your discomfort is preventing you from doing what you love, you should seek the help of a pain management specialist.
No. Opioids can be helpful for relieving pain immediately after surgery. However, taking opioids for a long period of time can lead to a disorder known as tolerance, in which opioids begin to lose their effect. Additionally, there is risk of addiction, physical dependence or accidental overdose. Opioids are a useful temporary solution, but use over an extended period can make your pain worse.
At BJC HealthCare, we want to relieve your pain so you can get back to doing the things you love. Our goals for treating your pain include decreasing pain, increasing mobility, diminishing any dependencies on pain medication, decreasing medical complications of pain, decreasing the number of hospital visits and length of stays, and engaging you so you’re a participant in your own pain management. We take a comprehensive approach to pain management and employ a range of treatments such as injections, ablations, physical therapy, non-opioid medications and other interventions including surgery.
For more information, see your primary care provider or learn more about pain management at each of our hospitals:
Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital
Missouri Baptist Medical Center
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