Post-traumatic pain is any type of pain that persists longer than it should or pain that is greater than expected given the nature of the injury. For example, if you sprain your ankle and you’re still dealing with pain and discomfort weeks later, you may be dealing with post-traumatic pain. Similarly, if you’ve gone through 2-3 months of rehabilitation after spine surgery and you’re still battling lingering pain, it could be a case of post-traumatic pain. Below, we explain why post-traumatic pain exists and how a pain management specialist can help you treat it.
Why Does Post-Traumatic Pain Develop?
Post-traumatic pain can develop for a few different reasons. Obviously there will be pain associated with your original injury, but if it persists after your body has returned to normal function, there could be more going on behind the scenes. Oftentimes post-traumatic pain is caused by damaged or misfiring sensory nerves or a disproportionate inflammatory reaction by the body’s immune system.
Nerve damage or a disproportionate inflammatory response can occur after any type of traumatic experience, but they tend to be most common after trauma associated with:
- Car accidents
- Athletic injuries
- Falls from a height
Pain tends to develop in and around the area of the initial injury, but it doesn’t always follow this pattern. Depending on which nerve is damaged, pain sensations could be expressed in other areas of you body, like your arms or legs. As you might imagine, this can make it difficult to pinpoint the cause of the problem, much less treat it.
Treating Post-Traumatic Pain
Because pain is so unique to the individual, there is no one-size-fits-all plan for successfully treating post-traumatic pain. With that in mind, there are some steps that you can take that can help reduce your likelihood of developing post-traumatic pain or eliminating it once it sets in. Those steps include:
Do Some Active Conservative Treatments On The Initial Injury – Don’t just let time run its course and hope that your initial injury will heal. Participate in physical therapy, do some gentle exercises and regularly stretch the area to retain flexibility and function in the area. This will help your body recover from the initial injury and strengthen structures that support and stabilize the area.
Pair Active Options With Rest And Anti-Inflammatory Medications – Rest and anti-inflammatory medications can help to calm inflammation that could be contributing to post-traumatic pain, but these passive options should not be your only form of treatment. You need to pair them with the active treatments above to preserve healthy tissue and joint function, which can help stave off post-op pain.
Connect With A Pain Management Specialist – Finally, sync up with a pain management specialist in your area like Dr. Cohn. He’ll be able to look at your initial injury and any lingering effects and determine exactly what’s going on in your body. From there, he’ll be able to develop a treatment plan that targets the specific nerve or regions that are contributing to your post-traumatic pain. Let a professional assist you on your pain recovery process if you’re finding it difficult to overcome discomfort.
If you need help managing or treating your post-traumatic pain, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office for assistance. Give his team at call today at (952) 738-4580.