Chronic Pain Support Group
Physicians and professionalsdefine pain as chronic if it lasts longer than three to six months and is persistent. It's distinct from acute pain that is a direct result of injury or trauma. This support group is dedicated to those suffering from chronic pain. Discuss treatments that have worked for you, find advice for your specific experience, and find support. You're not...
Barriers to Effective Pain Management
Both patients and providers establish barriers
Provider Barriers
Health care professionals often fail to routinely assess and document pain.
Due to inadequate training, health care professionals often lack knowledge and skills to assess and manage pain effectively.
There is a lack of practical, effective treatment protocols.
Health care professionals lack sufficient knowledge to employ safe equianalgesic principles.
Health care professionals may have exaggerated concerns related to the side effects of opiods, especially about tolerance and addiction.
Health care professionals may undertreat pain because of belief in common misconceptions regarding pain:
Myth: A patient??s pain perception can accurately be correlated with vital sign changes and evidence of injury.
Myth: Patients in pain readily express their pain to health care providers.
Myth: Patients of certain cultural, ethnic, or socioeconomic backgrounds consistently underreport or over-report their pain.
Myth: Opioids are addictive and a treatment of last resort because of unmanageable side effects.
Myth: Patients experiencing chronic pain over-report pain because they are addicted to opioids.
Myth: Older patients, and cognitively impaired patients do not perceive pain as intensely as other patients.
Myth: If a patient is able to sleep, they must not be in very much pain.
Myth: The goal of chronic pain management is to keep the dose of medication as low as possible.
Myth: Patients with a history of substance abuse who require IV opioids should never be allowed to control their own dose of medication (i.e. patient controlled analgesia).
Myth: There is no physiological basis for the moderating effects of emotions on pain perception.
Patient Barriers
Patients often share similar concerns and all too often seem willing to "tough it out" rather than complain about their pain. A patient may be reluctant to report pain because of a belief in these myths:
Myth: Severe or chronic pain cannot be effectively controlled.
Myth: Opioids are always addictive and a treatment of last resort ( "I must really be dying.").
Myth: Pain is always evidence of disease progression.
Myth: It is more admirable or socially acceptable to ignore pain.
Myth: Pain is an unavoidable result of aging or disease.
Myth: Pain is a deserved punishment.
Both patients and providers establish barriers
Provider Barriers
Health care professionals often fail to routinely assess and document pain.
Due to inadequate training, health care professionals often lack knowledge and skills to assess and manage pain effectively.
There is a lack of practical, effective treatment protocols.
Health care professionals lack sufficient knowledge to employ safe equianalgesic principles.
Health care professionals may have exaggerated concerns related to the side effects of opiods, especially about tolerance and addiction.
Health care professionals may undertreat pain because of belief in common misconceptions regarding pain:
Myth: A patient??s pain perception can accurately be correlated with vital sign changes and evidence of injury.
Myth: Patients in pain readily express their pain to health care providers.
Myth: Patients of certain cultural, ethnic, or socioeconomic backgrounds consistently underreport or over-report their pain.
Myth: Opioids are addictive and a treatment of last resort because of unmanageable side effects.
Myth: Patients experiencing chronic pain over-report pain because they are addicted to opioids.
Myth: Older patients, and cognitively impaired patients do not perceive pain as intensely as other patients.
Myth: If a patient is able to sleep, they must not be in very much pain.
Myth: The goal of chronic pain management is to keep the dose of medication as low as possible.
Myth: Patients with a history of substance abuse who require IV opioids should never be allowed to control their own dose of medication (i.e. patient controlled analgesia).
Myth: There is no physiological basis for the moderating effects of emotions on pain perception.
Patient Barriers
Patients often share similar concerns and all too often seem willing to "tough it out" rather than complain about their pain. A patient may be reluctant to report pain because of a belief in these myths:
Myth: Severe or chronic pain cannot be effectively controlled.
Myth: Opioids are always addictive and a treatment of last resort ( "I must really be dying.").
Myth: Pain is always evidence of disease progression.
Myth: It is more admirable or socially acceptable to ignore pain.
Myth: Pain is an unavoidable result of aging or disease.
Myth: Pain is a deserved punishment.
NO problem - I understand... I was saying it in general terms- not the case for everybody but I do understand where you are coming from! The rest of the list is courtesy of... "the pain relief network..." its an incredible site!
It took me 10 years and MANY physicians until I found the right team of doctors and treatments. (I currently see a spine specialist and an anesthesiologist / pain management specialist)
Keep speaking up, keep advocating, and seek other opinions if you are not happy with the current course of treatment.
We are consumers for the most important thing we will ever own - our bodies! Would we buy a car from a lot that had NOTHING we liked?? NOPE-- unlikely. I will say I understand that some people are stuck and cant switch doctors- so I KNOW there are exceptions to this- Im saying that IF ITS AT ALL POSSIBLE what-so-ever... then change and keep searching for the Dr. that is going to help you! Sometimes its the very next one...thats good news...:)