Lower back injury? Joint pain management? Lumbar pain? Look no further. At MSK Pain we have a dedicated multidisciplinary team, led by Dr. Neels Du Toit. We understand that chronic pain treatment can be overwhelming, impacting various aspects of your life, including relationships, emotional well-being, and even sleep. But don’t lose hope – we believe in you and are committed to investigating the precise source of your pain and discussing available treatment options.
Managing the Full Impact of Chronic Pain
An important component of this management includes attending to the consequences of chronic pain, which in many people include anxiety, fear avoidance, relationship distress, and depression. Our goal is to manage the full impact of chronic pain sufficiently to allow you to return to a quality of life where you can pursue the things that bring you the most pleasure. Our team is dedicated and passionate about helping people recover from the full impact of pain conditions.
Chronic pain, defined as pain present every day for 3 months, is a totally different problem from acute pain. Acute pain is an evolutionary process that ensures we rest a part of our body when injured, allowing it to heal. However, chronic pain is a pathological process and has become designated as a disease by the World Health Organisation. Neurological pathways are set up that are maladaptive and serve no purpose or, worse, intensify our pain rather than aiding the healing process.
Chronic pain can be exhausting. The persistent concentration required to block pain can interfere with thinking, concentration, and memory. Night pain interfering with sleep exacerbates the problem further. When pain levels increase above 6/10 on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), chronic pain becomes extremely difficult to block and interferes with daily activities, hobbies, and employment.
It is not surprising that anxiety sets in when ourpain fails to settle as anticipated. We worry about when or if the pain will ever subside, and fear it may increase in intensity. Consequently, we may avoid movements that initiated the pain in the first place. This fear avoidance may contribute to musculoskeletal pain, as the muscles around the affected area start to waste or atrophy, providing less support to the affected site. To address this, we involve a highly skilled physiotherapist in chronic pain management, even recommending analgesia before sessions to encourage movement and rehabilitation.
The Complex Connection between Anxiety and Chronic Pain
Anxiety is a common complication of chronic pain, and since anxiety and chronic pain travel in similar neurological pathways to the brain, an increase in one can precipitate an increase in the other. The effect may even multiply rather than simply add to the problem.
Addressing Anxiety through Psychology
If your doctor or treating practitioner has recommended you visit a psychologist, they are not implying that the pain is purely in your head. Anxiety is a consequence of chronic pain, not the cause, and helping to reduce anxiety can also help decrease pain levels and make the overall treatment program more successful.
Holding On to Hope
If your pain syndrome has persisted for months or years with minimal improvement, you may eventually give up hope and believe that your neuropathic pain treatment is a lifelong sentence. Depression is common at this stage. Family and romantic relationships may be placed under considerable strain.
If your pain conditions occurred at work, feelings of disappointment or outright anger that your employer has abandoned you may linger. Car accidents are another precipitator of chronic pain syndromes, and residual, understandable anger can persist for years if not recognised.
We Believe You – Never Give Up Hope
We do believe you. Please never give up hope. Our team is here to support you on your journey towards managing chronic pain and regaining your quality of life. Together, we will work towards a brighter and pain-free future. Contact us as your trusted pain specialists in Melbourne.
