Make that pain go away
View(s):From chronic back pains to debilitating nerve pains, everyone has or will, at some point in time, experience pain. For some people it could be just a temporary pain that may pass within days or few weeks, while others may suffer for much longer often getting addicted to pain medicines which in turn can have long term effects.
The Central Hospital recently opened a Pain Management Clinic to treat patients who suffer chronic pain. At its helm is experienced UK based consultant, Dr. Namal Senasinghe, MBBS, Dip in Pain Medicine, FFARCS, FFPMCA, Consultant in Pain Medicine.
Dr. Senasinghe
“Any pain lasting over three months can be referred to our clinic,” says Dr. Senasinghe. “Chronic back pain, which is the commonest, can range from mild to excruciating, leaving the patient feeling anywhere from inconvenienced to completely incapacitated, and it can come in episodes or be constant.”Dr. Senasinghe explains that chronic pain is often a multi-faceted problem that is identified and referred through multiple physicians. After consultation and diagnosis, its management is categorsed in four areas: complementary, psychotherapy, pharmacologically, and through intervention.
Complementary management is done via non-interventional methods using physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, reflexology, yoga etc, explains Dr. Senasinghe. This method, however, does not show immediate results but offers long term respite. Psychotherapy is required by a fair number of people who suffer from poverty and neglect which causes stress related pain. Pharmacological intervention is used for patients suffering from severe pain and requires a step-ladder process where medication is given to prevent the misuse of addictive analgesic drugs such as codeine and morphine and its derivatives. Lastly, interventional procedures are used for drastic cases and include injections of anesthetic medicines or steroids.
Dr. Senasinghe says that for most patients, the toll is more than just physical pain. “Patients with chronic pain often suffer from negative emotions like anxiety, stress, anger and depression, which are caused by their condition. These in turn decrease the body’s production of natural painkillers and may even encourage the body to create hormones that amplify sensations of pain.”