pain medication

Could The Arts Helps Drown Out Chronic Pain?

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

art therapyDoctors and patients are always looking for new ways to take the sting out of a chronic pain condition, and while exercise and opioids are two of the most common treatments, other complimentary activities may also help a person drown out pain signals. According to new research, turning to the arts may help some people get a better handle over their chronic pain condition.

Art As Pain Treatment

There are a number of theories as to why turning to the creative arts may help someone manage their chronic pain condition, and the prevailing wisdom is that it helps to pull your attention away from your pain. Chronic pain can be an intrusive experience that seizes your attention and thoughts, but throwing yourself into a creative arts experience can help pull your thoughts away from your pain.

Others believe that art therapy can be helpful because it gives patients a sense of control. Chronic pain can be overwhelming and leave you feeling like you no longer have control over your physical health, but channeling your focus towards something that you create can help you regain a sense of control. If you learn that you can control some aspects of your life, your chronic pain condition doesn’t seem as unmanageable.

A number of studies have helped back up these theories, although they have only proved correlation, not causation. For example, we’ve seen how an art lesson can help cancer patients experience less pain, and how the creative arts like music, dance, even just looking at a painting can improve a person’s ability to cope with pain.

In fact, a 2020 report by the National Endowment for the Arts concluded that “arts-based interventions should be considered among potential complementary approaches for managing pain.”

So while Dr. Cohn and his team aren’t likely to prescribe some crayons and a coloring book at your next appointment, there does appear to be a clear connection between creative expression, art appreciation and the ability to better manage uncontrolled pain. Art therapy will not be able to replace your exercise program, but it can be a perfect compliment to your current treatment to help yield even better results.

Stick to your normal pain care routine, but this summer, consider creating something in a sketchbook once a week or visiting the local art fair once a month to gain a greater appreciation for the arts, and your pain condition may also become more manageable! For more information, or for more traditional treatments to help overcome a chronic pain condition, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today.

New Research Dividing Physicians Over NSAIDs For Chronic Pain

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

NSAIDsWhen you suffer an injury, it causes an inflammatory reaction inside the body, and if the problem isn’t treated correctly, this inflammation can linger. The prevailing understanding when it comes to chronic pain is that it is caused by chronic inflammation, which is why many specialists try to prevent the problem by working to control inflammation. Anti-inflammatory medication like Ibuprofen has been a common recommendation for decades as a way to effectively manage inflammation and work to reduce the risk of it becoming chronic.

However, new research seems to suggest that attempting to drown out this inflammation with anti-inflammatory medications before it gets out of control may not be providing the benefits we assume it does. In fact, they believe short-term use of these Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) may actually increase your risk of chronic pain in the long term, and that claim is dividing the medical world.

Ibuprofen And Chronic Pain

The new research suggests that the initial inflammation that develops after an injury may be necessary for the body to make a full recovery. If this suggestion is true, it could shatter the decades-old standard of treating pain with aspirin, ibuprofen or IV steroids at the hospital. By drowning out this necessary initial inflammation, researchers suggest NSAIDs may actually be putting patients at a greater risk for developing chronic pain.

“For many decades it’s been standard medical practice to treat pain with anti-inflammatory drugs. But we found that this short-term fix could lead to longer-term problems,” says Jeffrey Mogil, a Professor in the Department of Psychology at McGill University and E. P. Taylor Chair in Pain Studies. “Neutrophils dominate the early stages of inflammation and set the stage for repair of tissue damage. Inflammation occurs for a reason, and it looks like it’s dangerous to interfere with it.”

Now, it’s worth noting that not everyone agrees with the research, at least not without additional evidence. The paper was rejected from the New England Journal of Medicine after one reviewer wrote that he would not “overturn decades of medical practice,” until additional convincing evidence was presented.

Even if the findings are true, as we’ve said countless times on our blog in the past, it may only hold true for a subset of patients because chronic pain is so unique to the individual, and what works for one patient may not work for others. For example, the shock and inflammatory response of an ankle sprain and a surgery vary greatly, and assuming this research applies unilaterally to both of these groups could lead people down the wrong treatment path.

So while the jury is still out on whether or not NSAIDs may be having some unintended consequences for our ability to help pain resolve, the good news is more research is being poured into how to best handle chronic pain, and that’s a great thing. The more we learn, the better we can help each patient.

If you need help with a chronic pain issue, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today at (952) 738-4580.

Don’t Listen To These Three Myths About Chronic Pain

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

mythsChronic pain is difficult enough to overcome without falling prey to some misconceptions or myths about your condition or how to best treat it. So if you ever hear someone say one of the following three sentences to you in regards to your chronic pain condition, know that they are mistaken and that believing them will only make it harder to overcome your pain issue. Below, we share three myths about chronic pain that you shouldn’t believe.

Don’t Believe These Three Chronic Pain Misconceptions

Even if others have the best intentions, they can end up giving bad advice if they are misinformed. If a friend or family matter ever says any of the following sentences to you in regards to your chronic pain, just ignore it, because believing it will only make it harder for you to find a helpful treatment to your chronic pain.

1. “It’s All In Your Head” – Some people simply can’t comprehend the fact that you are dealing with a physical condition that is causing real pain, so they just tell themselves that it must all be in your head. And while it’s true that pain is perceived and interpreted in the brain, that doesn’t mean that you’re just making it up. Don’t let others suggest that your pain isn’t real, because they don’t know what you’re experiencing every day. Knowing that your pain is real and acknowledging it is the first step in finding a a treatment that works for you.

2. “There’s No Cure” – Another one we hear from patients every so often is that they’ve previously been told by a provider or a family member that there is no cure for their chronic pain and that they better just accept that fact. We’ve never found a chronic pain case that we haven’t been able to at least help mitigate symptoms and make life more enjoyable, even if we can’t completely cure the condition. Know that solutions are available, and we can always work to find a way to reduce symptoms, even if the first treatment fails. Don’t accept that there is no option for your pain, because we won’t stop until we find something that works for you.

3. “Exercise Makes Chronic Pain Worse” – Chronic pain may make movement a bit uncomfortable, but that doesn’t mean that exercise is bad for your condition. In fact, the opposite is oftentimes true. Movement helps improve your health in a number of ways, many of which can help to alleviate some issues associated with chronic pain. Activity strengthens structures so that muscle groups can better handle physical stress, it gets our hearts pumping oxygenated blood to vital components in our bodies, and it triggers the release of endorphins in our brain that can act as natural pain relievers. Regular exercise is oftentimes an integral part of a comprehensive chronic pain plan. Don’t assume that just because exercise isn’t always easy with a chronic pain condition that you should shy away from it.

To connect with a specialist who can help prove to you that these sentences are myths, and who won’t stop he finds a solution that’s right for you, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today.

How Nostalgia Can Help Ease Chronic Pain

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

nostalgiaNostalgic feelings and thoughts can bring us back to a happier time, but according to new research, it could also help to reduce pain perception in patients with chronic pain.

New research published in Frontiers in Psychology sought to understand how embracing nostalgia would impact the perception of pain intensity for those dealing with a chronic pain condition. Previous work has found that nostalgia has been linked to psychological, emotional and social benefits, but two new studies wanted to see its effects on pain perceptions.

The first study used a writing task to to evoke feelings of nostalgia, while the second study examined how a patient’s pain tolerance varied following thoughts of nostalgia. In both studies, those individuals who were classified in the nostalgia group had higher pain tolerances than those in the control group. These results fall in line with previous studies that found that participants who were put through pain simulations while focusing on childhood photos reported lower feelings of pain compared to those who looked at random images.

Why Nostalgia May Affect Pain Perception

Researchers stopped short of saying exactly why feelings of nostalgia could impact a person’s perception of pain, but previous work on the effects of nostalgia may shine a light on the idea. One study found that nostalgic reflection increases thoughts of self-esteem, optimism, and perceived social support, and other studies have found that those same variables can reduce a person’s pain experience.

Another study found that nostalgia may act as a motivational component, leading people to believe they can achieve specific goals when reminiscing about the past, perhaps allowing them to re-frame their current chronic pain situation.

So while the answers to why nostalgia may decrease our perception of chronic pain are still theories and ideas, there does appear to be a clear connection between nostalgia and an increased pain perception. Future studies should continue to examine this link and see if there are ways to harness this connection.

And while you probably won’t be able to rid yourself of your chronic pain condition by thinking about years gone by, it’s fascinating how researchers are always looking for new ways to help patients gain control over their chronic pain condition. That’s the same philosophy that Dr. Cohn and his team have when it comes to your pain. We won’t stop until we find a solution that works for you, and we know that what works for one person may not work for another. Let us help you get back to a life free from pain. For more information, or for help with your pain condition, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today at (952) 738-4580.

How Adverse Events Affect Children With Chronic Pain

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

children painChildren with chronic pain who experience adverse childhood events (ACEs) are more likely to suffer an increase in symptom severity, according to new research. This suggests that chronic pain should be monitored even more closely if a child is subjected to difficult or stressful events.

For the study, researchers grouped children with chronic pain conditions or rheumatic diseases into one of three groups:

  • Pain with zero adverse childhood events
  • Pain with one adverse childhood event
  • Pain with two or more adverse childhood events

Although the researchers didn’t spell out exactly what type of adverse events were tracked for the study, they did mention that a wide array of adverse events were used as data points. They said traumatic experiences included a range of physical, mental and sexual abuse, and things like divorce or family mental illness.

“The results indicate that children with chronic pain and/or rheumatologic diseases who are exposed to ACEs are at increased risk of worse functional disability, greater pain-related symptomatology, and a higher burden of co-morbid mental health conditions,” researchers wrote. Patients who had experienced two or more adverse childhood events had “more somatic symptoms, worse functional disability, and a higher proportion of mental health conditions.”

Mental Health And Chronic Pain Symptoms

As we’ve talked about at length on the blog in the past, chronic pain and your mental health are closely connected, so it should come as no surprise that children with chronic pain who experience traumatic life events would be at risk for more severe pain symptoms. Chronic pain is not just a physical condition, and mental factors like stress or anxiety can absolutely make physical symptoms worse.

While the study only focused on children, the results should likely be applied to all populations that are dealing with a chronic pain condition. If you experience an adverse event in your life, don’t be surprised if your pain or your symptoms worsen. It’s not ideal, but it’s a direct result of this new mental stress and fatigue.

The only bright spot about this news is that it helps us understand that we need to be aware of the physical issues that may come along with a psychologically traumatic event. If we’re aware of how these events can impact our physical health, we can help patients get the care they need sooner or develop some coping skills to lessen the effects of the event. Patients should also be up front with their pain care providers about what’s going on in their life so that providers can help them appropriately manage your pain. You don’t need to go into great detail about your divorce or family loss, but let your pain care specialist know that you’re going through some stressful life events and that you’re aware stress and worsening symptoms can go hand in hand.

We want to help you find pain relief, and that involves treating the physical, mental and emotional aspects of your condition. To connect with a provider who will help treat all these aspects and more, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today.