pain

Why Early Treatment Is Important For Chronic Pain Patients

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

pain treatingEarly intervention is key for almost all medical conditions, but it’s even more important for certain issues. While cancer may be the most obvious condition that benefits from early treatment, so too does chronic pain. In today’s blog, we explain why early treatment can be so beneficial for patients dealing with chronic pain.

Chronic Pain And Early Intervention

If you’re dealing with chronic pain, don’t just grit your teeth and hope that the condition gets better on its own. Instead, connect with a pain specialist like Dr. Cohn sooner rather than later. Here’s why it’s so important to treat your chronic condition in its infancy.

It Oftentimes Gets Worse – Your pain condition may not be all that uncomfortable at the outset, and you may think that it’s not bothersome enough to warrant professional attention. The problem is that continuing to do the same things that led to its onset in the first place means that the condition will likely only continue to get worse. Mild discomfort will become moderate pain and moderate pain can eventually become severe and debilitating. Stop small problems before they snowball.

Easier To Treat At The Outset – Chronic pain treatment also tends to be more effective when it’s in its infancy. Smaller problems are easier to treat than severe conditions, so by putting off treatment, you’re also decreasing the likelihood that you’ll experience complete pain relief.

It Takes A Toll – Chronic pain takes a significant toll on your physical, mental and emotional health, and it can have negative consequences for all of these aspects if left untreated for long enough. Chronic pain conditions have been linked to an increased risk of mood disorders and mental health issues like anxiety or depression, so the longer you put off treatment, the greater your risk of related health problems.

Treatment Is Easier Than You Think – One thing we oftentimes hear from patients is that treatment was easier than they imagined and they wish they would have sought us out sooner. That’s not saying that treating your pain will be as simple as taking a pill once a day, but you may find major improvements to your condition and overall health by doing some simple things like tweaking your diet and doing 15 minutes of physical therapy exercises each day.

If you’re ready to take the first step in treating your chronic pain condition, don’t wait any longer. Pick up the phone and give Dr. Cohn and his team a call today at (952) 738-4580.

Looking On The Bright Side Of Chronic Pain

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

bright sideChronic pain can be a burden, and while we would never wish it on anybody, we always want to look for a silver lining in life. We’re hesitant to say that there are benefits associated with having a chronic pain condition, but we do think that going through a chronic pain battle gives you a unique outlook and life experience. In today’s blog, we want to look at the bright side of chronic pain.

The Silver Lining Of Life With Chronic Pain

Chronic pain has molded you into the person you are, and that can have an upside! Here’s a look at the bright side of life with chronic pain.

1. You Are Stronger Because Of It – It takes an incredibly strong person to get out of bed and face their chronic pain condition every day. You may not feel stronger because of your chronic pain condition, but trust us when we say that you are strong and resilient. You don’t need to be strong every single moment of every day, because chronic pain is incredibly draining, but in those moments where you force yourself to exercise, to complete your physical therapy routine or to simply eat a healthy meal, you are showing your strength in the face of chronic pain.

2. You Have Empathy – Nobody knows exactly what you are going through, but having chronic pain gives you a unique perspective when it comes to relating to the personal problems of others. Empathy is a trait that many people with chronic pain want others to have with them, so they are often great at giving that empathy to others. You know how to support others even when you don’t know exactly what they are dealing with.

3. You’re More Patient – Chronic pain is rarely overcome with one visit to the doctor or one trip to the physical therapist. Effective treatment takes time, and you need to have patience. Many chronic pain suffers come to the realization that this is going to take time to treat, and they become more patient as a result, and this patience spills over into other aspects of their life.

4. You’re Creative – Living with chronic pain forces you to adapt to flare ups at a moment’s notice. You end up finding creative ways to handle your condition and keep it from disrupting your life. There’s nothing like an unexpected challenge to bring out your creative side.

5. You’re More Perceptive – Finally, we find that chronic pain patients tend to be more perceptive not only to their own health but to the world around them. You begin to sense when a flare up may be coming and take steps to keep it from ruining your day, and you may be more perceptive when others just don’t seem like themselves. Many patients with chronic pain feel like they put on a mask in order to hide their chronic pain condition from the world, and this makes you more perceptive to when other people are putting their walls up.

Dealing with a chronic pain condition is no fun, but we urge you to look at the bright side and see what positive changes your condition has brought out in you. And for help managing a chronic pain issue, we hope you’ll reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team at (952) 738-4580.

Why Exercise Is So Helpful In The Fight Against Chronic Pain

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

when exerciseExercise is beneficial for your whole body, but it can also be extremely helpful if you are working to overcome a chronic pain condition. That’s not to say that you’ll be able to cure your chronic pain condition simply by going for a run, but exercise offers a number of specific benefits that can help you manage your pain issue and gain more control over symptoms.

In today’s blog, we explain why you should consider exercising more if you are trying to overcome a chronic pain condition.

Exercise Benefits For Chronic Pain

As we say on the blog all the time, chronic pain is highly unique to the individual, so you may not experience all of the benefits of exercise as significantly as others. That said, exercise is almost always recommended as part of a comprehensive treatment plan because of all the ways it can work to control your chronic pain issue. Here’s how exercise can help.

Muscle Conditioning – Sometimes our chronic pain issue is caused by muscle weakness, especially if muscles can no longer adequately support certain areas that are under stress. For example, a weak core can contribute to inflammation in the spine, leading to irregular or chronic back discomfort. Exercise helps to strengthen muscles so that they can handle the stress you throw at them and continue to provide the necessary support to nearby structures.

Pain Sensitivity Reduction – Studies have found that exercise can alter how the brain responds to pain by promoting the release of analgesics, which are natural painkillers made by the body. This naturally helps to reduce our sensitivity to pain.

Sleep Improvements – When you are active and burning energy during the day, it’s easier to fall asleep and stay asleep at night. Getting quality sleep can aid in pain sensitivity and ensure that we wake up ready to attack the day with more exercise and activity.

Inflammation Reduction – The stress of activity can lead to short-term inflammation as your body handles the physical stress of exercise, but exercise can also lead to an increase in anti-inflammatory cytokines produced by your immune system that calm inflammation and promote tissue repair. This helps to reduce inflammation in the long-term.

Mood/Anxiety/Depression Improvements – Exercise can trigger the release of feel good hormones in your brain called endorphins, which can improve your mood and decrease your risk of mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Since chronic pain treatment involves more than just treating physical pain, it’s important that we understand how exercise can help to alleviate chronic pain by improving our mental and emotional well-being.

Weight Management – Finally, regular exercise also make it easier for a person to maintain or work towards an ideal weight. When you’re heavier, your body has to handle more stress with each step you take, and that added pressure can lead to joint deterioration or increased inflammation, both of which can exacerbate a chronic pain condition. Managing your weight can certainly have a positive effect on your chronic pain treatment, and exercise can be the catalyst for that weight loss.

For more information on how exercise can help you overcome a chronic pain condition, or to talk to a specialist about setting up an exercise routine that works for you, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today at (952) 738-4580.

Combat Chronic Neck Pain With These Five Lifestyle Tweaks

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

neckChronic neck pain can certainly be the result of an acute injury, but for many Americans dealing with recurrent neck pain, some lifestyle factors are significant contributors to their chronic discomfort. Fortunately, if we can identify these habits and make a few simple tweaks to our daily life, we can usually experience some significant pain relief.

In today’s blog, we take a closer look at a few lifestyle tweaks you can make to help reduce or alleviate your chronic neck pain.

Daily Adjustments For Neck Pain

Chronic neck pain is unique to the individual, so it’s important to realize that what might work for one person may not work for another. If you want the best chance at reducing or eliminating your chronic neck pain, sync up with a pain management specialist like Dr. Cohn who can view your neck in person and provide some personalized recommendations. That said, if you want to try a couple of these lifestyle tweaks first to see how your neck pain responds, you may just find that your neck discomfort begins to feel a little better.

1. Limit Phone/Computer Use – It’s not uncommon to spend hours each day on a smartphone or computer, and oftentimes we lean our head forward when using these devices. This shifts our cervical spine out of a healthy position and increases the amount of stress the head places on the top portion of your spine. You can mind your posture, but oftentimes it’s easier to just work to reduce the amount of time you spend on these devices.

2. Posture Improvement – Phone and computer use isn’t the only time we tend to have poor posture throughout the day. Anytime we’re sitting or standing, our spine can shift out of a natural alignment if we lean forward or sink down in a chair. Strive to conduct posture awareness checks throughout the day and adjust your position so that your head is directly over your shoulders, limiting the strain on your cervical spine.

3. 5-Minute Stretches – Oftentimes our chronic neck pain is the result of static stress on muscles and soft tissues in the neck and upper shoulder region. You can work to counter this stress by gently stretching your neck for a couple of minutes a few times each day. If you’re watching television or taking a phone call, multitask and do some simple neck stretches that change how stress is dispersed on the area.

4. Invest In A Quality Pillow – Your neck spends roughly a third of its day resting on a pillow, so you need to make sure that the area is adequately supported at night. If it’s been a while since you bought a new pillow, or your current pillow has seen better days, consider buying a pillow that can better support your neck. Options that are too thin or overly stuffed will not keep your neck in the right alignment, so don’t just look for the fluffiest option!

5. Move More – Finally, make it a point to be more active throughout the day and break up extended seated periods. As we talked about in the stretching point, your neck is constantly helping to support the weight of your neck, so when you’re not mobile, stress is dispersed consistently across the same muscle groups. Over time, this static stress can lead to muscle fatigue or discomfort. Moving more often helps to relieve this static stress and changes how stress is dispersed throughout your neck, giving certain areas a reprieve. Being more active is also helpful for your whole body health, so make it a point to be more active!

If you can keep these tips in mind and you trust your in-person care to Dr. Cohn and his team, we’re confident you can successfully fight back against chronic neck pain. For more information, or for help with a different pain issue, give Dr. Cohn and his team a call today at (952) 738-4580.

What Is Scrambler Therapy For Chronic Pain?

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

scrambler therapyWe always have our ear to the ground when it comes to learning about new potential forms of treatment for chronic pain, and one such treatment that is making waves in the pain care community is called scrambler therapy. But what is scrambler therapy, and could it really help you get control over your chronic pain condition? We take a closer look at the treatment in today’s blog.

Scrambler Therapy

Non-opioid treatments to combat chronic pain is a multi-billion dollar industry for any company that can come up with an effective solution to the problem of chronic pain. And while transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has seen some progress by using electrodes to deliver electrical stimulation and painful nerves, it’s still not a perfect system. Scrambler therapy looks to improve on the TENS unit by using electricity in a slightly different manner.

With scrambler therapy, a doctor delivers electrical stimulation via electrodes to areas surrounding the source of chronic pain. In a review of 381 randomized trials, the technique was found to offer significant relief in over 80 percent of patients.

“Scrambler therapy is the most exciting development I have seen in years – it’s effective, it’s noninvasive, it reduces opioid use substantially and it can be permanent,” said study lead author Dr. Thomas Smith, professor of oncology and medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Scrambler therapy works by targeting the nerve endings of damaged nerves and replacing them with nerve signals from nearby nerves, effectively “scrambling” the nerve relay information that reaches the brain. By scrambling this established signal transmission, researchers can reduce or even eliminate pain relays along this neural route.

“If you can block the ascending pain impulses and enhance the inhibitory system, you can potentially reset the brain so it doesn’t feel chronic pain nearly as badly,” said Dr. Smith. “It’s like pressing Control-Alt-Delete about a billion times.”

In the review, patients were subjected to between three and 12 half-hour scrambling sessions, with over 80 percent of patients reporting substantial pain relief. Additional research is needed to really understand the best ways to harness the therapy technique and isolate which patients it may be most beneficial for, but it’s certainly encouraging information. It’s not a technique that Dr. Cohn and his team currently offer, but if it continues to show promise within the pain care community, we’re always looking to expand our ability to effectively treat our patients, so it could certainly be an option down the road.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for a physician who will give you the individual attention you need to overcome a chronic pain condition, pick up the phone and give Dr. Cohn and his team a call today at (952) 738-4580.