COPD & Emphysema Support Group
COPD is a progressive disease characterized by airflow obstruction or limitation. Emphysema is characterized by loss of elasticity of the lung tissue, destruction of structures supporting the alveoli and of capillaries feeding the alveoli. Both have symptoms that include shortness of breath, among other respiratory troubles. If you are a COPD or Emphysema sufferer, join...
Effective Pain Management In COPD
Chronic pain is something that many people with COPD live with on a daily basis. While most people say that pain associated with COPD is in their chest, shoulders, neck or upper arms, the work of breathing can cause you to hurt all over.
Pain in and of itself, is not a symptom of COPD; rather it is often the result of the work of breathing or other unrelated conditions. Chronic pain can decrease your quality of life, make your breathing worse and make activities of daily living unbearable. Effective pain management can be accomplished, however, with medication, as well as non-pharmacological methods of pain relief.
By Deborah Leader, RN, About.com Guide February 22, 2012
http://copd.about.com/b/2012/02/22/effective-pain-management-with-copd.htm
Pain and COPD
How often does pain affect your quality of life? If you say on a daily basis, you are not alone. Pain is a significant problem in COPD that is often under-recognized. It can interrupt your sleep, make your breathing worse and make an otherwise good day with COPD a bad one. How can pain be effectively managed in COPD? Let's take a closer look.
What is Chronic Pain?
Unlike acute pain that accompanies a sudden injury, chronic pain is pain that persists long after an injury has healed. It is pain that is all-too-often constant and dramatically interferes with your daily life.
Causes of Chronic Pain
Pain, in and of itself, is not a symptom of COPD; rather, it is often musculoskeletal in nature and associated with the work of breathing. Chronic pain may also be related to the following conditions:
Back, neck and pelvic pain
Headaches and migraines
Fibromyalgia
Arthritis
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD)
Sciatica
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ)
Additionally, there are six main types of chronic pain, including nociceptive, somatic, visceral, neuropathic, psychogenic and idiopathic.
What the Research Says About Pain and COPD
While there is limited clinical data surrounding the issue of pain and COPD, existing research suggests that approximately 45% of all COPD patients report chronic pain compared to patients without COPD. Moreover, people with COPD often report their pain as moderate to severe, and located primarily in the chest, shoulders, neck and upper arms.
Many people with COPD also report their pain as incomprehensible and unbearable. And, as if pain is not bad enough, a vicious cycle of symptoms often accompanies pain associated with COPD. These symptoms negatively affect one another and include pain, breathlessness, sleep disturbance and anxiety.
Treatment for Chronic Pain in COPD
According to research, analgesic pain relievers are the most commonly used treatment for pain in COPD. From mild to severe, analgesics target a broad range of pain and include:
NSAIDS -- including Motrin, Naproxen and aspirin
Opioids -- including morphine, codeine, and topical analgesics like Capsicum.
Non-Pharmacological Methods of Pain Control
The problem with analgesic medications is that some of them, like morphine and codeine, can be addicting. In addition, taking too many of them, either all at once or over a period of time, can depress the respiratory center in the brain causing you to stop breathing.
With non-pharmacological methods of pain relief, there is no need to worry about addiction or respiratory depression. They can be used in place of analgesics if pain is mild, or, in cases of moderate to severe pain, as an adjunct to analgesics, for better pain management. Here are some non-pharmacological methods of pain control for you to consider:
Ice -- can be used to reduce swelling and inflammation associated with chronic pain.
Heat -- increases blood flow to the tissues; works great for arthritis-type pain.
Massage -- can help relax stiff joints and muscles, which in turn, provides paid relief.
Guided imagery -- helps relax muscles, providing a distraction from pain
Physical therapy -- provides pain relieving modalities such as ultrasound and electrical nerve stimulation while teaching you more efficient ways to move and better cope with your pain.
Two other non-pharmacological methods of pain relief, acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, also may be beneficial for pain relief, and are used more frequently among people with COPD than those who don't have COPD.
http://copd.about.com/od/livingwithcop1/a/Pain-And-Copd.htm
I was interested in reading this because I do have pain with my COPD as they describe, and I have heard others on the site talk about their pain too.
I hope this helps some of you here.
Easy Breathing to you and hopefuly pain free too,
Love
Holly
Chronic pain is something that many people with COPD live with on a daily basis. While most people say that pain associated with COPD is in their chest, shoulders, neck or upper arms, the work of breathing can cause you to hurt all over.
Pain in and of itself, is not a symptom of COPD; rather it is often the result of the work of breathing or other unrelated conditions. Chronic pain can decrease your quality of life, make your breathing worse and make activities of daily living unbearable. Effective pain management can be accomplished, however, with medication, as well as non-pharmacological methods of pain relief.
By Deborah Leader, RN, About.com Guide February 22, 2012
http://copd.about.com/b/2012/02/22/effective-pain-management-with-copd.htm
Pain and COPD
How often does pain affect your quality of life? If you say on a daily basis, you are not alone. Pain is a significant problem in COPD that is often under-recognized. It can interrupt your sleep, make your breathing worse and make an otherwise good day with COPD a bad one. How can pain be effectively managed in COPD? Let's take a closer look.
What is Chronic Pain?
Unlike acute pain that accompanies a sudden injury, chronic pain is pain that persists long after an injury has healed. It is pain that is all-too-often constant and dramatically interferes with your daily life.
Causes of Chronic Pain
Pain, in and of itself, is not a symptom of COPD; rather, it is often musculoskeletal in nature and associated with the work of breathing. Chronic pain may also be related to the following conditions:
Back, neck and pelvic pain
Headaches and migraines
Fibromyalgia
Arthritis
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD)
Sciatica
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ)
Additionally, there are six main types of chronic pain, including nociceptive, somatic, visceral, neuropathic, psychogenic and idiopathic.
What the Research Says About Pain and COPD
While there is limited clinical data surrounding the issue of pain and COPD, existing research suggests that approximately 45% of all COPD patients report chronic pain compared to patients without COPD. Moreover, people with COPD often report their pain as moderate to severe, and located primarily in the chest, shoulders, neck and upper arms.
Many people with COPD also report their pain as incomprehensible and unbearable. And, as if pain is not bad enough, a vicious cycle of symptoms often accompanies pain associated with COPD. These symptoms negatively affect one another and include pain, breathlessness, sleep disturbance and anxiety.
Treatment for Chronic Pain in COPD
According to research, analgesic pain relievers are the most commonly used treatment for pain in COPD. From mild to severe, analgesics target a broad range of pain and include:
NSAIDS -- including Motrin, Naproxen and aspirin
Opioids -- including morphine, codeine, and topical analgesics like Capsicum.
Non-Pharmacological Methods of Pain Control
The problem with analgesic medications is that some of them, like morphine and codeine, can be addicting. In addition, taking too many of them, either all at once or over a period of time, can depress the respiratory center in the brain causing you to stop breathing.
With non-pharmacological methods of pain relief, there is no need to worry about addiction or respiratory depression. They can be used in place of analgesics if pain is mild, or, in cases of moderate to severe pain, as an adjunct to analgesics, for better pain management. Here are some non-pharmacological methods of pain control for you to consider:
Ice -- can be used to reduce swelling and inflammation associated with chronic pain.
Heat -- increases blood flow to the tissues; works great for arthritis-type pain.
Massage -- can help relax stiff joints and muscles, which in turn, provides paid relief.
Guided imagery -- helps relax muscles, providing a distraction from pain
Physical therapy -- provides pain relieving modalities such as ultrasound and electrical nerve stimulation while teaching you more efficient ways to move and better cope with your pain.
Two other non-pharmacological methods of pain relief, acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, also may be beneficial for pain relief, and are used more frequently among people with COPD than those who don't have COPD.
http://copd.about.com/od/livingwithcop1/a/Pain-And-Copd.htm
I was interested in reading this because I do have pain with my COPD as they describe, and I have heard others on the site talk about their pain too.
I hope this helps some of you here.
Easy Breathing to you and hopefuly pain free too,
Love
Holly
I go to a pain management doctor. These doctors can come from a variety of specialties, such as anesthesiology, neurology, physiatry, etc. They have specialized training in the usage of opiates and other medications for pain, and they also know how to wean you off carefully. Sometimes it takes a combination of medications to really manage the pain. So, if you suffer, ask your pcp or pulmonologist to recommend a doctor in pain management that he trusts. It can be very much worth it.
There is also a Chronic Pain group here on DS. They can be very helpful.
Hugs, Sue
It is something we all deal with from time to time, some more than others. Its good to know of the different ways we can manage our pain.
I found today my lungs were hurting when I went out for a walk, it was mainly on the gradual uphill slope but I was ok on the flat. I would use the PLB or the breath count in these circumstances.
At the moment daily physio exercise, ice and heat for my arthritic and joint pain.
Hi Sue thanks for sharing that information with us, also very helpful.
I'm wishing all an easier day with calm and soothing relief from pain.
Hugs
Peta x
I hope your both are having a pain free day,
and hope everyone who reads this also has an Easy breathing pain free day.
Love
Holly
Hugs n Luv xox
i'm so sad for her. but she was worried because she knows i have the same pain as her sister....
this is an interesting article, but unfortunatly no answers.
i was surprised to see that 45% suffer the pain in the neck, shoulders and arms as i have this past year....i wonder if lugging the O2 bottle caused the herniated disc in my neck?
as sue replied, i guess i just have to trust my pain management doctor and take as minimum meds as i can & tolerate the pain,
I am blessed to not have terrible pain all the time, just once in a while.
Brenda
Yes, now I call myself an addict, because I use (norco) hydrocodone with 325 Tylenol. I can move. I can function.
but when the pain got so bad that the only thing i could think of was getting drunk or killing myself i had a talk with my new doctor.
i told him that this was no longer "quality life" and i was willing to follow his suggestions.
so with pain management specialist opinion, pulmonary doctor opinion my gp now gives me oxycodone that i take as directed.
the pain is never gone, but it is bearable and i feel if i get "addicted" that i am not breaking my sobriety as long as i take only what the dr orders. and he said that if i follow dr orders and not "abuse" the drug he thinks he can keep my pain tolerable without killing me (i do enjoy his sense of humor).
heck my youngest daughter is worried i'm getting "addicted" to my O2 as i have to turn it up shopping or at higher altitudes, so i guess i'll have a couple of addictions before this all ends, but i want to enjoy my life until that end :)