Partners Mission back

The Partners mission is to create greater understanding among Healthcare Professionals, individuals and families member when your partner is struggling with pain management. Offer a comprehensive network of resources and knowledge about issues in pain management and build understanding and support that can help your loved ones with chronic and acute pain lead better lives.

Pain back

Pain can be classified into "mechanical" or "inflammatory" then "acute" or "chronic". It can be described as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage. Another terminology for pain is nociception from the word noxious for the experiencing of a stimulus that is tissue damaging.   Pain can vary greatly from person to person and each person has a different threshold and tolerance. A combination of factors can also contribute to pain intensity including both physical and emotional. Here are some practical steps you can take to help reduce the intensity of the pain you are experiencing.

Pain Management back

There are many ways to manage your pain but the most important tool is self-management. Find out which pain management tools are most beneficial for you. Visualization is a powerful tool. Your response to pain is determined by many factors such as your emotional outlook. If you think you feel unable to cope it is best to talk to some one and seek help. Try to minimize negative thought patterns and learn to listen to your body when it is telling you that it is tired or in pain.   Choose activities that are not stressful and take your mind off the pain. Keep a diary of your pain; this exercise can help you understand if your pain is made worse by certain activities. The more aware you are of when the pain intensifies the more in control of the pain you will be.

Pain Scale Tests' (PDF Files) back

Survey of Pain Attitudes (SOPA) details McGill Home Recording Card for Pain details Clinical Pain Assessment details Questionnaire of von Korff et al for grading the severity of chronic pain details

Chronic pain back

Chronic pain is broadly defined as pain persisting or recurring for more than 3 months, or pain associated with tissue injury that is expected to continue or progress. Vegetative signs, sleep disturbance, decreased appetite, loss of taste for food, weight loss, diminished libido, constipation often develop gradually, and depression may follow. Pain is the body's way of responding to an injury.   Chronic pain can affect all areas of your life. It is advisable for patients to talk with their Healthcare Provider. Informing your Healthcare Provider about having chronic pain can create an opportunity for a multi-disciplinary course of treatment involving both a physician and a mental health professional. It's not a sign of weakness but one of strength, by taking control you are able to make insightful decisions over your chronic pain and that is half the battle. It's important for your Healthcare Provider to understand what changes the symptoms of pain and can it also be related to changes in your mental state. Chronic pain that does not respond to exercise, massage or manipulation is usually a ligament problem.

Acute Pain back

Acute pain is brief, intense and arises suddenly, limiting your activities almost immediately. Acute pain is usually associated with injury or a medical intervention (for example, surgery) and goes away when the body heals. Medication is given as needed, for a short period. Acute pain lasts a short time; typically 1 month. It is often associated with anxiety and with hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system.

Persistent Pain back

Persistent pain is ongoing, background pain. It can range from mild to severe. It may feel like a highly uncomfortable ache to a grinding agony. Persistent pain is usually treated with medication. Alternative and complementary methods may also help. Because persistent pain lasts day after day, it can steal the quality of your life and leave you feeling weak and dependent on others. Persistent pain may interfere with your ability to feel interest in anything other than your condition. This may isolate you from friends, places you love, and the more pleasant aspects of your normal life.

Breakthrough Pain back

Two-thirds of people with persistent pain also have breakthrough pain, which is usually related to what is causing the persistent pain. Breakthrough pain is a sudden worsening of the persistent pain for brief periods (on average, 30 minutes). The pain "breaks through" the relief provided by long-acting medications and becomes intense. Breakthrough pain caused by body movements is called incident or triggered pain. Breakthrough pain caused by a non-specific source is called spontaneous pain. If you know you're likely to have breakthrough pain when you do certain activities, you can plan to take treatment ahead of time.

Fibromyalgia back

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FM) is a very common condition of widespread muscular and connective tissue pain and fatigue. FM is characterized by chronic widespread pain and a heightened and painful response to pressure (allodynia). Other symptoms may include: tingling of the skin prolonged muscle spasms weakness in the limbs, nerve pain, functional bowel disturbances chronic sleep disturbances. FM sufferers may also experience cognitive dysfunction (known as "brain fog"), which may be characterized by problems with short  and long-term memory , short-term memory consolidation, impaired speed of performance , inability to multi-task, cognitive overload, diminished attention span, anxiety, depressive symptoms26 and impaired concentration.   Diagnosis 1. A history of widespread pain of 3 months or more. 2. The palpation of 18 specified locations of tenderness (so called " tender points").

To make a diagnosis of fibromyalgia there needs to be pain on digital palpation of 11 or more out of the 18 specified tender points. Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire go to   Treatment There is currently no cure for fibromyalgia and fibromyalgia patients may be symptomatic for many years with a reduced quality of life and varying levels of dysfunction. However engagement in a productive lifestyle and minimization of dysfunction can usually be achieved by paying attention to 4 major areas : pain, exercise, sleep and psyche.   The location of the 18 tender points

Understanding The Pain Process back

Acute pain is transmitted quickly to your brain causing you to react at once, without even thinking about it. Chronic pain reaches the brain more slowly and, unlike acute pain, it passes through the hypothalamus, which orders stress hormones to be released, and through the limbic system, which is responsible for thoughts and emotions.   Neurotransmitters of Pain back Mechanism for transmitting pain is by the chemicals found in every nerve cell, called neurotransmitters. These either send or block pain messages. Serotonin is one such neurotransmitter. It blocks pain and induces a feeling of well-being. Endorphin is another neurotransmitter, a natural pain killer similar to morphine.  The level of these chemicals varies between people and their production can be voluntarily increased, for example by vigorous exercise. That is one reason why exercise is an important facet of pain treatment.   Based on these facts we can begin to understand why therapies that help us to change our minds about pain are helpful. For some people, pain is cyclical - pain produces anxiety and this anxiety intensifies the pain. Fear and anticipation of the physical problem can also heighten the pain, leading to feelings of depression and helplessness. When experiencing such pain, it is natural to limit one's activities. This can lead to a "chronic pain cycle", which can adversely affect one's confidence and self- esteem.

Pain Cycle back

Being aware of the chronic pain cycle as well as understanding its psychological effects can help you avoid being drawn to it: The cycle generally begins with prolonged periods of rest and inactivity, causing a loss in physical strength, endurance, and flexibility. As a result, you may begin to lose confidence in your ability to do things, causing a lowering of personal goals. Inability to perform usual activities at home or work is likely to promote feelings of frustration, and you may begin perceiving yourself as unproductive. This sense of lowered self-esteem may further lead to depression.   During times when the pain subsides or is more tolerable than usual, you may overexert yourself in an effort to prove to yourself and others that you can still do the things you did before the chronic pain began. As a result of the overexertion, the pain often returns and may be more severe than before. You may find yourself unable to finish tasks or accomplish goals. Discouraged and in pain, you begin limiting your activities, and the cycle begins again.

Types of Pain back

Chronic pain with insufficient or no organic explanation is a common problem.  Although such patients truly experience pain (i.e., the pain is not factitious, and the patient is not malingering), these syndromes are better understood as psychophysiologic rather than physical disorders.   Most of these patients have organic pathology, but in many, evidence from the clinical assessment suggests that a psychological disorder is the predominant influence on the intensity of pain and degree of disability. Some patients have psychogenic pain, with no identified organic explanation. Some cases of psychogenic pain can be further diagnosed as somatization disorder (numerous, often dramatic physical symptoms, including pain, typically affecting several organ systems) or hypochondriasis (pathologic preoccupation with minor symptoms).   Allodynia back Allodynia meaning "other pain", is an exaggerated response and can be either static or mechanical. Allodynia is a clinical feature of many painful conditions, such as fibromyalgia, and migraine. There are different kinds of Allodynia: Mechanical allodynia (also known as tactile allodynia) Static mechanical allodynia: pain in response to light touch/pressure Dynamic mechanical allodynia; pain in response to brushing Thermal (hot or cold) allodynia; pain from normally mild skin temperatures in the affected area.   Hyperalgesia back Hyperalgesia is an extreme sensitivity to pain. Primary hyperalgesia can be described as pain sensitivity that occurs directly in the damaged tissues. Secondary hyperalgesia can be described as pain sensitivity that occurs in surrounding undamaged tissues.   Migraines back Migraine and tension-type headache, often are associated with musculoskeletal abnormalities, particularly postural and myofascial dysfunctions. Migraines are characterized by throbbing pain and sometimes by other symptoms, such as nausea and visual disturbances. Migraines are more frequent in women than men. Stresses such as chronic pain, can trigger a migraine headache.   Cluster headaches back Cluster headaches are characterized by excruciating, piercing pain on one side of the head; they occur more frequently in men than women.

Chronic Pain Truths back

People with chronic pain don't mean to be unreliable. When feeling better we promise things and mean it, but when in pain these goals seam unattainable. An action or situation may result in pain several hours later, or even the next day. Delayed pain is confusing to people who have never experienced it. Pain can inhibit listening and other communication skills. It's like having someone shouting at you, or trying to talk with a fire alarm going off in the room. The effect of pain on the mind can seem like a lack of attention. So you may have to repeat a request, or write things down for a person with chronic pain. The senses can overload while in pain. For example, noises that wouldn't normally bother you seem too much. Patience may seem short. It is normal to be depressed occasionally when you hurt. Pain can sometimes trigger psychological blocks, (usually very temporary). When in pain, a small task, like hanging out the laundry, can seem like a huge task. An hour later the same job may be quite OK. Pain can come on fairly quickly and unexpectedly. Pain sometimes lessens after a short rest. Small acts of kindness can seem like huge acts of mercy to a person in pain. Your offer of a cup of tea can be a really big thing to a person who is feeling temporarily helpless in the face of encroaching pain. Not all pain is easy to locate or describe. Sometimes there is a body-wide feeling of discomfort, with hard to describe pains in the entire back, or in both legs, but not in one particular spot you can point to. Our vocabulary for pain is very limited compared to the body's ability to feel varieties of discomfort. Medical science is still limited in its understanding of pain. Many people have pain that is not yet classified by doctors as an officially recognized. That does not reduce the pain; it only reduces our ability to give it a label and to have you believe us.