Recent findings suggest that individuals with complex regional pain syndrome deal with a great amount of pain during every day activities. According to some pain scale rankings, CRPS ranks higher on the pain scale than childbirth, cancer and even amputation.
For those of you unaware of what complex regional pain syndrome is, CRPS is categorized as a chronic condition that typically affects one limb, usually arising out of a trauma. CRPS involves a disruption in the way sensory signals are processed and deciphered along the central nervous system, leading to extreme pain even when no traumatic experience is happening. Actions like putting on your socks or brushing against a door frame can trigger inflammation and painful sensory signals.
Treating CRPS
According to the National Institutes of Health, CRPS typically affects women, and the average age of a CRPS sufferer is 40 years old. The issue with CRPS is that since it involves a communication breakdown in the central nervous system, it can be extremely hard to diagnose correctly. One report suggests that the average CRPS sufferer searched for answers for four years before receiving the appropriate diagnosis. Part of the problem is medical oversight, but this is due in large part to it being such a rare condition, and the fact that research dollars are being spent elsewhere.
So how do we work to treat and prevent this problematic condition? For starters, education is key. That’s the main reason we shared a large infographic about CRPS on the blog earlier this week. Both patients and healthcare providers need to be aware of the problem of CRPS. It can be treated and managed, but only with an accurate diagnosis. People should not have to wait four years to get to the bottom of their health problem.
Funding For CRPS
We also need to be spending more research dollars on understanding chronic conditions. Chronic pain affects roughly 30 percent of Americans, and the toll it takes on the healthcare system as a whole is billions of dollars, yet funding to better understand the condition and help those who suffer day in and day out continues to be lacking.
St. Paul CRPS Pain Doctor
If you’re dealing with chronic pain, and you’re struggling to get answers about your condition, set up a consultation with a Minnesota Pain Specialist. We won’t stop until we get to the bottom of your condition, because our goal is to help you live a pain-free life. Contact us today for more information.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a complicated condition in which nerves incorrectly send pain signals to the brain, even though there is no painful sensory action taking place. For people with CRPS, actions like a gust of wind on their neck or toweling off after a shower can trigger a painful flareup. CRPS can be difficult to treat because it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly where the problem is along the nerve path to the brain. However, with careful evaluation and coordinated treatment with a pain management specialist, symptoms can be kept under control.
Today, we want to take a closer look at CRPS by partnering up with our friends at Burning Nights CRPS. They’ve created a wonderful infographic that examines the problems caused by CRPS and what actions you can take if you’re suffering from the condition. Check out the infographic below, and be sure to swing over over to BurningNightsCRPS.org to learn more about CRPS and other chronic conditions.
It’s a new year, but that doesn’t mean you’ve left your back pain in 2016. One-third of the population battles regular pain in one form or another, so although you’re not alone, we thought the New Year was the perfect time to lay out some resolutions for pain sufferers to take back control of their bodies in 2017. Here are some resolutions to keep in mind to help control your chronic pain this year.
Pain Resolutions
The first thing is to commit to change. If you continue to do everything the same as you always have done, the results will be the same. Change is hard, but without change, there is little chance that a different outcome can be achieved. Choose to make one change at a time. It will be uncomfortable, but not all pain is bad. The first stretch in the morning always hurts, but after the initial pain, it goes away and then you feel better. Since we all are humans and not perfect, we can all benefit from change.
For many people who have pain, the next place to turn is to see a physician, especially one who specializes in Pain Management. Believe it or not, this is a small specialty of medical doctors who have expertise in diagnosing and treating all kinds of things that cause pain. Doctors who have medical boards (approved certifications by the American Board of Medical Specialties) in both Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (P.M. and R.) and in Pain Medicine may be your best choice for an expert to help guide your treatment. Most importantly, find someone in the field who has experience, and with whom you feel comfortable. Try to find those doctors who are in the top 10 percent of the specialty, as they have extensive knowledge about diagnoses and treatment, and are continuing to educate themselves about new information.
Change Your Habits
Changes that make a difference are often those that are basic to a healthy life in general. Start simple and try to get good sleep at night. The brain needs to shut down at night and follow good sleep hygiene habits. If you’re still not sleeping, have an evaluation by a physician specializing in sleep quality.
Nutrition is the next big area, what we eat and put into our bodies has a huge effect on every part of our life. We are what we eat. For many of us, we absolutely need to change our diets. Be honest with yourself, track what you eat and change it slowly. If you have no idea what to change, get some help.
Lastly, nothing changes if you do not exercise. Exercise has to be done daily, and it will include stretching, strengthening and conditioning. Stretching should be daily, while strengthening and conditioning can be alternated. Find 30 minutes a day outside of regular activities to devote specifically to exercise.
Resolve to change in the new year. Get motivated, and be responsible to yourself. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, because a third of the world has chronic pain. Medicine knows some of the best solutions are the simplest. Exercise, nutrition, reducing stress and sleep solve many of our health problems. If you have difficulty finding the path on your own, get some help by experts.
If you have had low back pain and have done physical therapy, you’ve probably been told about the benefits of core strengthening. The muscles that keep the spine stable are those known as the core muscles. These include the hip musculature, the large and small muscle along the spine, and the abdominal and pelvic muscles. When a person normally does strength training, the core muscles are often not included in an exercise program. Without specifically focusing on these muscles, they are often weak. Working the core muscles often is hard because it takes special exercises, they are boring to do, and sometimes it is hard to tell if you are working the correct muscles. Further, when going to physical therapy, many people are given fifty exercises, they all seem to be the same, and they take too long to get done in a reasonable amount of time.
A good core strengthening program can be done by just about anyone in about 15 to 20 minutes. If you have had low back pain, doing core strengthening combined with general muscle strength training should be done three times a week. This will be necessary to build and maintain the muscle function, and should decrease the overall pain level felt by a person. The nice thing about core strengthening is that it does not require expensive or significant amounts of equipment. For many people core strengthening can be done with no equipment. Helpful equipment would include 1.5 pound each ankle weights, 3-lb. hand weights, an exercise ball, a balance board, and rubber tubing with handles and a door loop to secure it in a doorway.
Core Strengthening Exercises
The first set of exercises does not require any equipment. Weight can be added to the ankles and the 3-lb. hand weight when it becomes too easy. Planks engage the whole body and especially the core muscles. A plank is done like a push-up, but one holds the body stiff like a straight board, instead of the arms straight, lean on bent elbows, and hold the position for 30-45 seconds, take a break then repeat. Making it harder, try holding the plank on a balance board, as this will make you engage the muscles to keep you from falling to the side. One level higher includes side planks, keeping the position on one elbow and leg on your side, hold on each side again for 30 seconds. Adding side leg lifts increases the challenge as does adding in ankle weights.
Superman
The next exercise that is easy to add is the “superman”. In this exercise, you are on the floor on your hands and knees. From this position, stretch out one arm and the opposite leg, get them fully extended, reach as far as possible, and hold it for 5-10 seconds, keeping the back level. Switch and do the other arm and leg, and do a series of seven to eight of these. This exercise is good at working the small muscles along the spine and leg as well as arm muscles. When it becomes easy, strap on ankle weights and use the 3-lb. hand weight.
Crunches & Leg Lifts
The next group of exercises is the one many people hate. Abdominal crunches and leg lifts. Abdominal crunches are like the old fashioned sit-ups, but one does not sit up at all. Lying on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the ground, place your hands behind your head and start to bend forward at the waist tightening up the abdomen. There is no rule on how many crunches to do, but do as many as needed to make the stomach feel like it is working. Combine straight crunches with twisting to each side, as this allows one to make sure that you work more of the abdominal muscles, especially the obliques. The other good abdominal exercise is doing leg lifts. Again, lying on the back, but with the legs straight out, lift them off the ground 6-12 inches and hold them there for 10 seconds. Making it tougher, spread the legs apart and hold them after having them together. If it’s still not hard enough, add the ankle weights and do the exercise. Do a series of seven of them.
Working the small paraspinal muscles that connect level to level in the spine seems one of the hardest areas. Rubber tubing and bands seem to be an easy way to activate these, and to be able to feel them when you are engaging the correct muscles. Rubber tubing of different strengths with handles for each end and a doorway anchor (a nylon loop to thread the tubing through and an enlarged end, when placed between a closed door, this is a secured hold for the tubing) is great for these exercises. There are only a few exercises to with the tubing, but it is easy to feel you are working the back muscles. First, place the anchor in the top of the door, face the door, grab the handles, step back slightly and pull the handles down and hold for several seconds at your waist then slowly release the tension, and do seven of these. Turn around with your back to the door, take a small step out, hold the tubing with the elbows bent to the chest and slowly bend forward, hold the position and then slowly return to standing upright. The forward bending puts traction on the lower spine as well as makes one activate the muscles. Also with your back to the door, you can have your arms fully extended forward and bring the arms down in front of you, also activating lower spine muscles as well as arm muscles. Once those exercises are mastered, you can add in placing the anchor in the side of door frame at mid to lower chest level, and do arm exercises facing the door and away. These will work the arms, chest, mid and low back muscles. Doing a series of seven of each exercise often will only take between 5-10 minutes and does a very good core and upper body workout. Tubing is extremely portable and can be easily taken with you and used when traveling to keep up the exercise program.
Core body strengthening is relatively easy and does not require a lot of time or equipment. A physical therapist often will give you too many exercises, but just choose some and do them. A rounded program hitting the major areas often can be done in a very short amount of time, three times a week. It does not need expensive equipment and can be done at home or when travelling. Feeling better takes the commitment to do the work. The simple stuff like exercise works the best to control pain, but it is up to you whether you will succeed.
A recent reading in a new issue of one of the many medical journals that showed up at my home was an article on the management and treatment of low back pain for general practitioners. Usually I hope to pick up an interesting piece of knowledge to add to my treatment regimen, but unfortunately this article was a major disappointment. The focus of this article was on “nonspecific” low back pain. For a person with low back pain, this is the category of everyone who does not need surgery right away since they do not have a huge disc herniation.
Low Back Pain
Low back pain does have many specific causes and detailing the problem leads the practitioner to treatments that may be more effective. It is very important to understand that there are many structures in the low back region that can cause pain. Oftentimes multiple structures may be causing problems and treatment may need to include a number of different things. Solving only one of five problems leaves four issues that may be equal or worse and provide no relief for a patient.
To successfully treat low back pain, a practitioner must fully understand all the structures in the body and how they can contribute to pain. There multiple body parts involved including joints, nerves, discs, muscles, ligaments, bursas, and various organs in the lower abdomen and pelvis that all can contribute to pain sensations. On top of all the stuff in the direct area, the brain also can be an important factor since it is necessary to interpret the sensory signals and their meaning. If there are numerous sensory signals, the brain can short circuit on them and overly amplify the quality of pain. At this point, central sensitization occurs and normal sensory signals in the body can become interpreted as pain; the equivalent of a short circuit is present in the nervous system.
When low back pain is not easily fixed with time, simple medication and exercise, then getting higher level expertise with an expert in Physical Medicine doctor is helpful. Pain experts come in all varieties, but you should stick to those who have the broadest knowledge, since they will be more likely to be able to determine what is actually the problem and develop potential solutions. Many people claim to treat back problems, but only those who take the time to look into your history, to fully look at what has been done as far as diagnostic studies, and to conduct a physical exam will be successful.
The Pain Management Approach
Pain that has not been solved quickly is often a complex problem. Before I see a patient, I try to review their medical history and what has been done for diagnosis and treatment. A patient’s history and story about their problems often is the most important key to understanding what to do for a person. After hearing what the patient thinks is the problem, then a physical exam can often lead to a series of diagnoses. Most of the time, a person can tell me some odd information that is the absolute clue to helping a person with their pain problem. Tailoring the right treatment to a person is where experience is extremely helpful and what determines a successful management strategy. Many people are afraid that they are wasting the doctor’s time. Rarely if ever is a patient wasting my time, especially if they want to get better and are willing to try various treatments.
The human body is a wonderfully complex machine, and answering the question of what is wrong is very hard. Since in the low back, many things can be wrong, simple answers are rare. As people get older, everything in our bodies does deteriorate and degenerate. Some things in the body can be repaired, but many things like the discs and joints in the body show normal degeneration, sometimes by the age 30 or 40. Currently we have no way to reverse aging, and treatment of pain requires managing of symptoms. There often is no way to “fix” the problem, but we can find strategies to manage the symptoms better.
Recent findings suggest that individuals with complex regional pain syndrome deal with a great amount of pain during every day activities. According to some pain scale rankings, CRPS ranks higher on the pain scale than childbirth, cancer and even amputation.
If you have had low back pain and have done physical therapy, you’ve probably been told about the benefits of core strengthening. The muscles that keep the spine stable are those known as the core muscles. These include the hip musculature, the large and small muscle along the spine, and the abdominal and pelvic muscles. When a person normally does strength training, the core muscles are often not included in an 