Five Ways To Get Your Doctor To Take Your Chronic Pain Seriously

January 5, 2023 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Chronic pain is nothing if not frustrating, and that’s especially true when you’re trying to get others to understand the extent of your chronic pain condition. People oftentimes fail to understand the depth of another person’s chronic pain simply because pain is so unique to the individual. And while you may not be much worse off if a friend or family member doesn’t take your pain seriously, you can feel helpless when it’s a medical professional who isn’t taking you seriously.

Not being taken seriously or not being believed is one of the biggest complaints we hear from patients who have had no success treating their pain condition with other providers. We strive to show that we take each patient seriously, but if you want to make it easier for your pain physician to believe your story, we have some tips for you. Below, we showcase some ways to get your doctor to take you chronic pain seriously.

How To Have Your Pain Taken Seriously

The best advice we can give is to search for a physician who takes your word at face value. We understand that’s not always easy, but if you want to make it easier for your physician to understand your pain and take it seriously, consider these five tips.

1. Be Detailed – Be very detailed about your chronic pain and discomfort. Many patients find it helpful to keep a pain journal so that both the patient and provider can get a better idea of how pain has impacted you recently. Don’t just note how intense your pain is, document what makes it better or worse, what foods you ate and what activities you pursued that day so that the total picture becomes clearer.

2. Follow Through – If you’re not willing to do what the doctor recommends, they may assume that you’re embellishing your pain a bit. If you’re skipping your physical therapy sessions, not seeking out exercise or failing to change your diet, then your doctor may assume that you don’t take your condition seriously, so why should they?

3. Have Two-Way Conversations – You may be in a lot of pain, but if you just show up to the doctor’s office and expect them to figure out what’s going on and the best way to treat it on their own, you may end up frustrated with your care. If you want to be taken seriously and have a better chance of finding the right treatment for your pain, the conversation can’t just be one sided. You need to open up to your doctor, ask them questions and then converse with them when they have questions for you. Being helpful and engaged during your appointments shows that you are committed to helping find the right treatment.

4. Ask About Active Solutions – As we’ve said on the blog numerous time in the past, pain medications can play an important part in your treatment, but a doctor will be more receptive to your care if you show an interest in active treatments instead of passive treatments like opioids. When you ask what you can do to help manage your condition with active treatments, it showcases that you’re willing to put in the work and aren’t just looking for the easiest solution.

5. Come To Dr. Cohn – Finally, if you’re sick and tired of not having your pain condition taken seriously, connect with Dr. Cohn and his team. Pain is highly individualized, and we promise to give you the personalized attention you need to figure out what’s going on and the best way to treat it. We strive to go the extra mile for each one of our patients.

For more information, or for help with a specific pain condition, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today at (952) 738-4580.

New Ways To Tackle Your Chronic Pain In The New Year

December 28, 2022 / Thomas Cohn, MD

If you hope that the new year will bring you chronic pain relief, know that this process won’t just happen on its own. If you’ve been struggling to find relief from your chronic pain, it’s time to switch up your current treatment plan. With that in mind, we wanted to share some new ways that you can try to better manage your chronic pain condition in the new year.

New Ways To Approach Your Pain Condition

If you want 2023 to be the year you get control over your chronic pain condition, you may need to adjust your current approach. Here are some new techniques for conquering your pain condition in the new year.

1. Consult With A Pain Specialist – Many people turn to their family doctor or a general practitioner for help with their pain condition, and while that’s a fine place to start, they likely won’t be your best resource for pain care. This year, resolve to connect with a pain management specialist who can give you the individualized attention that you and your pain condition deserve. Pain is complex, and it is best addressed by a professional who specializes solely in pain management.

2. Take Up One New Active Hobby – Chronic pain oftentimes responds to exercise and movement, but we understand that jumping into an exercise routine if you have chronic pain isn’t easy. While we still recommend an exercise routine, you may find that you have more success by finding an active hobby that you enjoy. An active hobby can give you the benefits of exercise without feeling like a traditional workout. Consider cycling, swimming, hiking, or yoga in the new year, and you may just notice an improvement in your chronic pain condition.

3. Reset Your Sleep Cycle – Quality sleep can help you get more control over your pain condition, and the opposite is also true. Poor sleep can make pain sensations feel more intense, and it can also leave you feeling tired and without the motivation to exercise and move. In the new year, really make it a point to reset your sleep schedule so that you get 7-9 hours of continuous sleep. Strive to go to bed earlier and at the same time each night so that your body can get into a better sleep rhythm. As your sleep improves, so too will your pain condition.

4. Journal – Finally, consider starting a pain journal in the new year. It’s much easier to get a true understanding of what affects our pain condition for the good and the bad if we write down our experiences so that we can reflect on them later. Write down how you’re feeling, how active you were, what you ate and drank and how quality your sleep was the night before. Odds are patterns will begin to emerge that will allow you to make more informed choices going forward that will help you better control your pain condition.

If your current approach to pain management isn’t working, try something new in the new year. For more information, or for help with your pain issue, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today at (952) 738-4580.

Six Tips For Managing Chronic Pain In The Winter

December 22, 2022 / Thomas Cohn, MD

The snow is here to stay in Minnesota, and while it may look pretty, the winter weather can lead to more chronic pain flareups if we’re not careful. Managing your chronic pain condition takes a little more intentional effort during the winter, but it’s certainly not impossible to keep chronic pain at bay during the cold season. Below, we share six tips for managing your chronic pain condition this winter.

Preventing Chronic Pain During The Winter

Winter is officially here, and while you may want to curl up in a ball for the next three months until everything starts to thaw, that’s only going to lead to more pain and discomfort, because your body craves activity that helps to make it healthier. Instead, here are some of the ways you can keep your chronic pain at bay and work towards a healthier version of yourself during these winter months.

1. 45 Minutes A Day – Prioritize movement and activity every single day. We understand that you may not want to go out in the cold in order to go for a walk or head to the gym, but you need to find a way to stay active. Exercise and activity strengthens key muscles and keeps soft tissues working properly, and this can help to ward off painful inflammation. Whether it’s in the form of some exercises in the basement or walking on a treadmill while watching a show, you need to challenge your body with movement for at least 45 consecutive minutes each day.

2. Hydrate – It can be easy to overlook the importance of water during the winter months, even when we are surrounded by its frozen version when we look outside. Blood can’t reach structures as easily when we’re dehydrated, and that can lead to functional issues like cramps or spasms in our muscle groups. Keep a big glass of water nearby at all times during the winter, and strive to finish your glass multiple times each day.

3. Diet And Your Immune System – You can help to give your immune system a boost by eating a range of healthy foods, like vegetables, whole grains, fruits and good fats. The more color you have on your plate, the better. Carbohydrate-dense and sugary foods are pro-inflammatory, and that can lead to chronic pain flare ups, so be mindful of your diet this winter.

4. Use Heating Pads Carefully – Heating pads can help to calm inflamed joints and help blood flow in and out of an area more easily, but you’ll want to be smart when using heat, because high settings can lead to burns. Use heat on low or medium settings for 20-30 minutes at a time, or soak in a warm bath so that your whole body can get the benefits of heat.

5. Layer Up – Speaking of staying warm, it’s essential that you dress for the weather to help keep your body warm. Our joints don’t work as well when we’re cold because of how the temperatures can affect the synovial fluid in our joints. If your chronic pain is in your joints, then the cold weather is likely your enemy. Dress in multiple layers so that your body stays warm when you’re out in the cold this winter.

6. Limit Alcohol Use – Alcohol will cause your blood vessels to dilate, which can cause your body to lose heat, and that can be a problem for your chronic pain condition. Alcohol can also be pro-inflammatory, leading to more inflammation in our joints. And while it may seem like alcohol can help you fall asleep, it tends to lead to less restful sleep. Your body relies on this restorative sleep to rid itself of toxins and other waste products that can contribute to chronic pain. Instead of consuming holiday spirits this season, drink a hot tea or soup to help warm you up.

We hope you have a great holiday season and an enjoyable winter season, and if you need any help overcoming a chronic pain issue that you’re facing, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today at (952) 738-4580.

Why You Should ACT On Your Chronic Pain

December 9, 2022 / Thomas Cohn, MD

One of the biggest drawbacks of dealing with a chronic pain condition is the uncertainty that comes with it. You don’t know if a flareup will occur at the wrong time, and unfortunately this uncertainty can end up dictating your life and decisions. One treatment technique that aims to address this problem is known as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at ACT as a treatment technique for patients with chronic pain.

What Is ACT?

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is similar in nature to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on changing the way you think about your pain condition and the challenges that it presents, hoping to reframe the situation in a less negative light. ACT is a little different, but its roots are also based in acceptance and understanding. With Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, the patient is taught to focus on what’s happening in the moment and not to over-analyze or fear what could happen down the road. Patients are guided to face situations head-on instead of shying away from things because of what may or may not happen.

CBT focuses on setting goals and doing what you want to do in life instead of limiting yourself because of your chronic pain. Through these technique, patients are empowered to live life to the fullest in spite of a pain condition that used to hold them back.

In order for ACT to be successful, patients need to be willing to both accept and commit. The vast majority of chronic pain patients accept that they are dealing with an uncomfortable condition, but acceptance is just part of the equation. If you’re not willing to do anything about it or reclaim your power from the condition by committing to yourself and your life, you’re not going to see any improvements. Accept that you have a pain condition, but then commit to making sure that it doesn’t dictate your life.

As you might imagine, ACT is best when paired with other treatment techniques, like exercise or physical therapy. ACT focuses on improving your mental health and your mindset, which is a major part of your chronic pain condition. However, as we’ve said in blogs in the past, chronic pain conditions typically need to be treated mentally, physically and emotionally for best results. You’ll still need to address the physical issues being caused by your pain condition, otherwise the benefits of ACT will be limited. If you’re truly doing the second part of the technique and committing to not letting chronic pain control you, it should be no problem to commit to a physical therapy or exercise routine.

It’s really easy to self-limit when we are dealing with a chronic pain condition. We sometimes put ourselves in a box where we’re comfortable, and we’re scared to step out of these walls we’ve created for ourselves out of fear of what could go wrong. Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, start thinking about what would happen if things went right. Accept your pain and confront it by committing to live the life you’ve always wanted, don’t sit on the sidelines because of pain.

If you want to learn more about the guiding principles of ACT, or you want to connect with a pain specialist who is committed to helping you find a treatment plan that works for you, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today at

Could Green Light Therapy Help With Chronic Pain And Headaches?

December 1, 2022 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Researchers are always looking for new ways to help chronic pain sufferers find relief, and a new technique involving green light exposure may be beneficial, although the reason for the encouraging findings aren’t completely understood.

You may have heard how blue light exposure can reduce strain on your eyes if you work on a computer all day, but green light therapy may soon be making waves in the pain care community. According to new research, people may be able to reduce the severity and intensity of pain and headaches by wearing specific green-tinted glasses.

For the study, 34 patients with fibromyalgia were assigned glasses with different shades for four hours a day over the course of two weeks. 10 wore blue glasses, 12 wore clear glasses and 12 wore green glasses. At the end of the two-week trial patients wearing the green glasses were four times more likely than those in the other groups to report that their anxiety in regards to their pain had declined, as had their reliance on opioids. The results mimic previous studies on green light therapy, including a 2020 study that found that migraine sufferers exposed to green light therapy saw a significant reduction in headache onset and intensity.

Why The Success?

While there is no concrete evidence as to why green light exposure may be successful in relieving pain and headaches, researchers are working on confirming a couple of theories. The first is that the green light disrupts neural pathways in the brain that are responsible for pain or headache onset. Others believe the relief could be related to the release of melanospin, a neurotransmitter in the eye that is responsible for regulating pupil dilation and contraction. Green light may be better able to trigger this neurotransmitter, which can inhibit certain pain pathways, effectively turning off pain relays.

According to researchers, not just any old green light or green-tinted glasses will do, so don’t just go out and buy the first set of green lights you see if you have chronic pain or headaches. Specific wavelengths yielded different results, so on top of figuring out exactly why green exposure may be beneficial, researchers also want to fine tune which wavelengths are the most effective. Future studies want to combine green glasses and real-time functional MRIs to better visualize possible neural pathways.

For now, the best way to treat your chronic pain issues or your frequent migraines is to connect with a chronic pain specialist like Dr. Cohn, but don’t be surprised if you hear more about green light therapy or similar passive techniques as a compliment to traditional approaches in the near future. For more information about overcoming your chronic pain condition, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today at (952) 738-4580.