A recent article posted in Physician’s Weekly posited if dogs should be prescribed for chronic pain patients. The piece went on the say that roughly 1 in 5 U.S. adults deals with a chronic pain condition, and that dogs may be able to help them with their pain condition. Although many of the claims are not linked to scientifically backed studies, it’s not hard to see how a dog could help with some aspects of your pain condition.

How A Dog Can Help With Your Pain

For starters, there’s the idea that a dog can help you maintain an active lifestyle. Staying active is certainly something that we preach as physicians, because exercise helps to strengthen crucial structures and ward off potentially problematic inflammation. Dogs require daily exercise, so if getting a dog will get you outside and keep you active, there’s reason to believe it could end up being helpful for your pain condition. That being said, you don’t need to get a dog in order to go for a daily walk.

Next, there’s the idea of caring for your mental health. Many physical ailments are connected to your mental well-being. According to the article, the presence of a dog and petting the dog can help distract chronic pain sufferers from their pain and combat feelings of loneliness. Dogs can do wonders for our mental health, but at the same time, if you’re struggling to care for yourself, adding a pet to the equation may only add to your burden and leave you feeling even more stressed. There are mental health benefits, but there can also be drawbacks, so don’t just head out and buy a puppy without doing some research.

Another area that was discussed in the article was sleep health. Sleep is imperative for chronic pain patients, as its a restorative process for our body to heal from the stresses of the day. The article mentions the “overwhelmingly positive” health effects of chronic pain patients who co-sleep with their dog. While a dog may help you feel less anxious or lonely and in turn help you fall asleep, it’s not all positive. Adding a dog to the bed can cause disruptions as you or the dog move throughout the night. Even if you don’t let them sleep in your bed, odds are a puppy isn’t going to be able to make it through the night without going to the bathroom. If you find it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep because of your pain condition, adding regular nighttime potty sessions to your schedule may only make the pain condition worse.

At the end of the day, there certainly may be some benefits to adding a four-legged companion to your home if you have a chronic pain condition, but there are also plenty of drawbacks that you’ll want to acknowledge before picking out a dog. A new dog or puppy can add financial or physical stress to your daily life, which may make chronic pain flareups even worse, so make sure you’ve addressed all potential pitfalls before considering your own therapy dog.