Recently Answered
- Q How is chronic pain different than short-lived pain?
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, CardiologyChronic pain is different than the sensation you feel when you burn your finger or scrape your knee. In contrast to short-lived forms of pain, chronic pain occurs when your nervous system continues to fire pain signals for months or even years after the... Full Answer
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- Q How often should I do exercises for chronic pain?
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Rick Olderman, Physical TherapyWhen you have a chronic pain condition, one repetition of an exercise each day will not fix it. You may initially have to exercise several sessions each day until the length or strength of the involved muscles are at least partially corrected. Once this... Full Answer
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- Q How can I commit myself to treating my chronic pain?
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Rick Olderman, Physical TherapySolidify your ideas and support your intention to heal by talking to friends or family or writing down your plan. Often, discussing plans brings their fruition one step closer.I think all of us have had a time in our lives where we secretly challenged... Full Answer
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- Q How can the way I move cause me chronic pain?
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Rick Olderman, Physical TherapyMost chronic pain is the result of years of poor movement habits -- habits that have taken on the guise of "natural" movement, even though these are actually unnatural and harmful habits (also called movement dysfunctions or movement faults). For... Full Answer
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- Q Is there anything positive about living with a chronic illness?
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Celeste Cooper, RheumatologyIn every negative, there can be a positive. Here are a few benefits to being sick: Support from those around you Making new friends Discovering a new way of looking at illness Embracing alternatives (meditation, visualization, prayer, yoga, or... Full Answer
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- Q Can opioids safely treat chronic pain?
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Celeste Cooper, RheumatologyI believe opioids should be considered for treatment of pain with medications, especially when other treatment modalities have failed. I have to disagree that doses must be elevated due to tolerance, because some research shows that is not true for all... Full Answer
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- Q How can I find reliable information on a chronic disorder on the Internet?
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Celeste Cooper, RheumatologyIf you are interested in medical research, go to pubmed.gov and do a search for articles on fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, or chronic myofascial pain from trigger points. Contact the author, usually there is an email for at least the... Full Answer
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- Q How can I become an advocate for a chronic disorder?
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Celeste Cooper, RheumatologyHere are some ways to become an advocate for a chronic disorder: 1) Pick a topic you are personally riled up about. For instance, the proposed criteria for diagnosing fibromyalgia or the criteria you want to see used from diagnosing ME/CFS... Full Answer
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- Q How can emotions cause physical pain?
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Dr. Harris McIlwain, Pain MedicineIn studies at Duke University Medical Center, researchers found that healthy people who have greater anger, hostility, and depressive symptoms have higher C-reactive protein levels than those individuals who are calmer. C-reactive protein is a marker of... Full Answer
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- Q How can exercise contribute to chronic neck and back pain?
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Dr. Gerald M. Silverman, ChiropracticInvestigating the source of your pain may take you right to the core of what you most love to do. I hope you know how important daily exercise is, but ironically, there is only one thing harder than getting people to start exercising, and that is... Full Answer
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