A Dilemma for People Experiencing Pain
“Is it CHRONIC PAIN or PERSISTENT PAIN? It is a feeling that I do not understand or like, but I do not know how to describe it … so I will call it PAIN.”
There is a great deal of information available today about “chronic pain” – new online platforms are popping up daily, webinars can ‘teach you’ about the neurophysiology of pain, how to manage your pain, or how to rid yourself of your pain with a few magic tricks, special treatments or products.
There are good and bad, free and subscriber-based exercise programs, information sites, podcasts, magazine articles and books, offering information, advice, and solutions when dealing with persistent pain.
But chronic or persistent pain is NOT a diagnosis. It is a feeling, a sensation that something does not feel right in our body.
And dealing and managing a persistent pain problem that is usually invisible can be very difficult and even frightening at times.
There is NO specific fix, treatment, exercise, or magic bullet that is going to solve everyone’s pain (and other annoying feelings) problems in exactly the same way.
So, how do you begin to better understand how to deal with a persistent pain problem, when you do not know where to start, what you are feeling, why you are experiencing these sensations — or even whom to believe ?
This website can provide you with some basic information about the current way many health providers think and dialogue about chronic or persistent pain. Distinguishing between physical, emotional, or ‘other’ feelings can help you to develop a more specific vocabulary, which in time will also help devise a plan – a pathway.
But many of us may need more information about how the body functions, how is pain processed in the brain (when and why do I say ouch?), the different reasons for persistent pain, the possible emotional feelings attached to those physical experiences, and most importantly, what can I do about it?
The goal of this blog is to l provide you with additional information that can help you more effectively self-manage your symptoms (sensations, feelings) and return to a more functional (active, useful, joyful) lifestyle.
The icon (red dot) is used throughout the website and when talking about a specific pain/symptom- and/or another feeling or sensation I do not like.
I am a clinician and a good listener. I have learned that it is not enough for me to give advice or to provide treatment suggestions, unless and until I know a person better.
I do not live in their body and do not understand or feel what and perhaps why they are experiencing those sensations. I also do not know what choices they may have or must acquire to change their situation.
And, although I am a member of many national and international pain forums and am knowledgeable about the current literature on chronic pain management, most of my learning has come from listening to YOU: the person in pain.
It is impossible for even two people to experience PAIN the same way.
Each physical body (with its own unique anatomy, current and past physical and emotional stressors, cultural and ethnic background, history, family dynamic, work situation, financial situation as well as the many other factors that make us different from one another) comes into each situation in their own individual way.
And each person must learn how to better manage their situation, injuries, and problems in their own way.
Even if you know or think you know and understand the reasons for the different sensations you are experiencing in your body, try and review this OUCH information in a new way.
You are not the same person you were months or years ago. You have learned and experienced much during that time.
Remember, these first few blog posts will provide you with basic information to help you reframe or to look at your own pain problem more objectively.
You can email me anytime with your comments, suggestions, or concerns. I will do my best to respond as quickly as I can.
Let us begin!
Gloria Gilbert, PT,M.Sc.
Here are some videos that can provide you with ‘the basics’!