Many people describe their chronic pain management as a journey to find relief, and like any journey, there are things we wish we would have known earlier in the process. In today’s blog, we highlight four things that we’ve heard from some of our patients and others in the pain community that they wish they would have known earlier during their pain journey.

What Patients Wish They Would Have Known Earlier

Here’s a look at four sentiments that many patients say they wish they would have know earlier in the chronic pain management process:

1. It’s Not Just Physical – Chronic pain manifests itself in the physical form, but the underlying cause or contributing factors are not all physical. Chronic pain has strong emotional and psychological roots, so you need to make sure that you’re caring for more than just your physical health. If you’re under a lot of stress or you’re suffering from another mental health issue, it could be playing a role in the onset of your physical pain. If you only focus on the physical contributors to chronic pain, you may be ignoring promising treatment options.

2. You’re Not Alone – Chronic pain can leave you feeling isolated from the outside world, but it’s important to remember that you’re not alone. There are a number of ways to connect with others about your condition to help treat it and fight back against feelings of isolation. You can:

• Connect with a pain management specialist for professional help.
• Reach out to friends and family members for help or to talk, or to just take your mind of your condition.
• Connect with others who are going through a similar situation in an online support group.

Know that you’re not alone in this process and that you should be relying on other people for support.

3. Your Mindset Matters – It’s also important to know that how you approach your chronic pain treatment can have an impact on its success. When you improve your mindset, you improve your outcomes. It’s obviously easier said than done, but try to focus on everything you’re doing to help you conquer your chronic pain, instead of looking at all the ways your chronic pain is affecting your life. You can start to take back control over your condition by approaching treatment with a positive and determined mindset. Talk to your pain specialist if you want extra help improving your mindset when it comes to your pain condition.

4. It’s About The Small Wins, Not Absolutes – We can never say with absolute certainty that we’ll be able to completely cure all aspects of your chronic pain condition, and while that is our goal, that’s not how you should always view your end goal. If you’re only ever focused on the existence of pain and not the fact that it’s getting better or you’re having fewer flareups, you’re only going to be discouraged in the face of progress. This discouragement can negatively impact your treatment and your long-term success. Instead, focus on small wins and celebrate them, and you’ll find it easier to keep on working hard to treat your chronic pain condition.

For more information, or for help with any of the above tips, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today.