Overcoming Chronic Illness And Chronic Pain

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

chronic illnessChronic pain is never easy to overcome, and that process can become even more complicated if you’re also dealing with a chronic illness. In fact, the two conditions are often intertwined, as recent research has found that people with multimorbidity (defined as more than one chronic illness) are much more likely to experience chronic pain compared to people who don’t experience a chronic illness.

According to the recent data, for patients with two or three chronic conditions, the likelihood of dealing with chronic pain was 53.8 percent. In individuals with four or more chronic illnesses, that likelihood jumped to 75%. And while there is no specific reason as to why this link exists, medical experts have a number of theories for the connection. For starters, when a patient has multiple long-term health conditions, it can be harder for a medical team to address all issues. Medications for one condition can render other types of medications useless or dangerous, or treating one aspect of their health can cause issues for another condition.

So what is a person with chronic illness and chronic pain supposed to do? In most instances, it pays to connect with a pain management professional.

Combating Chronic Illness And Chronic Pain

If you’re dealing with chronic illness and chronic pain, all you probably want to do is curl up in bed and let the discomfort pass. The problem with that strategy is that long-term rest isn’t typically your best treatment option. Instead of rest and reduced activity, gentle exercise and increased activity are usually a better solution. Activity helps to ensure healthy fluid movement throughout your body, strengthen muscles, loosen joints and it can even change the chemical structure in your brain to drown out signals of pain and discomfort. Controlled activity truly is a wonder for patients with chronic illness and chronic pain.

So too is weight loss. Research has consistently shown that there exists a relationship between chronic illness, pain and obesity, and it doesn’t take much weight loss to see the results. One study found that if a person is 50 percent or greater over their recommended weight, losing as little as 10 percent of their body weight may be enough to see a significant decrease in pain.

It’s clear that increased activity and weight loss through diet and exercise can help mitigate symptoms of chronic illnesses and chronic pain, but those treatments aren’t just something you can easily do, especially with pain and illness complicating the equation. Again, that’s why it’s so important to partner with a pain management specialist. They’ll be able to help develop a care plan that slowly builds up your tolerance and endurance without overloading you from the start. Our goal is the help foster healthy habits, and if you don’t take time to slowly and gently increase activity and dietary changes, it’s unlikely these habits will stick on a long-term basis.

There is also the mental side of chronic illness and chronic pain that often gets overlooked. We understand how mentally draining these conditions can be and how they affect your ability to seek out the physical treatments that can provide relief. Sometimes cognitive treatments are just as important if not more important than treatments to address physical pain, and this multi-faceted treatment approach is oftentimes best overseen by a professional. You’ve got enough on your plate without trying to treat the physical, mental and emotion effects of your chronic pain and illness on your own, so let us help.

So if you are fighting pain and illness on many fronts, reach out to a professional for assistance. Slowly but surely, we’ll help find a solution and increase your quality of life. For more information or for help with your chronic issue, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today.

Four Last-Minute Gifts For The Chronic Pain Warrior In Your Life

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

chronic pain giftIf you know someone with a chronic pain condition, you’re probably aware that the thing they want most for Christmas is to be free of their chronic pain condition. While you may not be able to rid them of their pain, there are a number of gifts you can give to that chronic pain warrior in your life that they’ll appreciate. In today’s blog, we share four last-minute gifts that will be great for someone in your life who is battling a chronic pain condition.

Gifts For Chronic Pain Warriors

Most of the items on this list aren’t tangible items, but for the chronic pain warrior in your life, it will be wonderful to receive any of these things this holiday season.

1.  A Phone Call – Chronic pain can be extremely isolating, and sometimes that can leave a person feeling disconnected from the world around them. They may feel like their friends have forgotten about them or that they don’t care. This is obviously untrue, but you can help change this perception by calling them up on a regular basis. Call to check in and catch up once a week or a couple times a month. Reaching out is one of the best gifts you can give to someone who is feeling isolated by pain.

2. A Friend Who Listens – Sometimes, all a person wants is a shoulder to cry on or an ear to vent to. Be that person for the chronic pain warrior in your life. Do more listening than you do talking, because that can be cathartic for the person with chronic pain.

3. A (Cancellable) Date – Nobody likes to cancel plans, and that’s especially true for people who need to cancel because of their chronic pain condition. Make plans with them that can be easily adjusted in the event of a flare-up. Instead of getting tickets to play or a movie at a specific date and time, get a gift card or treat them to a night out on the town when they are up to it. Plans with a friend is a great gift idea, just try to make them flexible to account for chronic pain.

4. Books And Brainteasers – If your friend can’t be as active as they’d like because of their pain condition, challenge their mind with a new book or brainteasers like puzzles or word searches. These brain-engaging activities can also serve to draw attention away from pain, making their pain condition less noticeable.

And if your friend or family member really wants to overcome their chronic pain condition in the new year, ask if they’d consider syncing up with a pain management specialist like Dr. Cohn. We’d be happy to set them up with an individualized treatment plan based on their specific needs. For more information, or for help with a pain condition, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today at (952) 738-4580.

What To Do When Chronic Pain Becomes Too Much

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

chronic painOftentimes the message in the chronic pain community is to keep your head down, count your small wins and never let chronic pain become overwhelming. Those are great sentiments to strive for, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to persevere in the face of a chronic pain condition. Some days, you chronic pain can simply be too much. In today’s blog, we explain what to do on those days when your chronic pain condition becomes too much to handle.

When Chronic Pain Overwhelms

A chronic pain condition can easily become overwhelming, but this isn’t an indictment on how you handle pain. Nobody knows exactly what you’re going through, and combined with everything else you have going on in your life, it can be easy to become overwhelmed for a bit by your physical condition. However, it’s important that you understand how to best respond in these situations. Here’s some advice for overcoming overwhelming chronic pain.

1. Take Some “Me” Time – Don’t just continue to try to push through the pain, because that’s going to be exhausting for your physical and mental health. Instead, lay down and relax. We know even relaxing can be difficult if you have chronic pain, but it’s important to try to destress and destimulate your body. Go into your bedroom, turn off the electronics, and get some much needed rest. You’ll need it to tackle your pain condition head on in a bit.

2. Talk With Someone – Talking with someone about your feelings can go a long way in helping you find more control in the situation. Even though you may feel helpless, talking about your frustrations can be a cathartic experience, regardless of whether or not the person you are talking to is trying to find solutions to your pain. Talking with a parent, a friend or a doctor about your experience can help make it easier to overcome.

3. Exercise – We know that “exercise” oftentimes gets cast as this catch-all solution for chronic pain, but there are a number of studies that show a positive correlation between exercise and things like mood or pain perception. We know that the last thing you want to do when chronic pain feels overwhelming is to go to the gym and put in an intense workout, so find a different way to exercise and keep moving. Go for a walk, do some yoga or head to the swimming pool and swim some laps in the warm water. Movement is helpful in controlling the physical and mental expression of chronic pain.

4. Eat Healthy – You can’t control every aspect of you body, but one thing you have total control over is what you put in it. Choose healthy food options, and it can help to calm inflammation that may be triggering a flare-up. If you choose unhealthy options, inflammation could persist and you could gain weight that could further complicate a joint or muscle issue.

5. Connect With A Specialist – Finally, if your current chronic pain treatment simply isn’t working, sync up with a pain management specialist like Dr. Cohn. He’ll conduct a comprehensive diagnosis, develop a variety of treatment options and he won’t stop until he finds a solution for you. You don’t have to try and overcome your pain condition alone. Let our team put our decades of experience to work for you.

For help with your chronic pain issue, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today at (952) 738-4580.

How To Handle The Holidays, Chronic Pain And Depression

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

sad holidaysThe holiday season is upon us, and while some people look forward to this time of year, others dread having to navigate the holidays if they are dealing with chronic pain and depression. As we’ve talked about on the blog in the past, there is a strong link between chronic pain and an increased risk of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, and both chronic pain and your mental health can get worse during the holiday season for a host of reasons.

Maybe family issues take the spotlight this time of year, you’re dealing with the financial stress that the holidays can bring, or you’re worried that seasonal affective disorder brought on by the colder and darker days could further complicate your mental health. These are all real threats to your mental health that countless people deal with during the holidays. And while it may not make you feel a lot better that others are going through something similar, there are ways to combat chronic pain and depression during the holidays. We share those tips in today’s blog.

Managing Your Mental And Physical Health During The Holidays

Everyone is dealing with their own issues, so there’s no one-size-fits-all playbook for overcoming issues that can be intensified during the holidays. Some of these tips may be helpful to you, while others may not. What’s important is that you keep on trying until you find a healthy outlet that works for you.

Learn To Say No – One of the best things you can do during the busy holiday season is learn to say no. Don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to please others all the time. Set some healthy boundaries and say no when things aren’t right for your physical or mental health. While that may sound easier said than done, really try to start setting health boundaries and saying no for the betterment of your health.

Exercise – Numerous studies have found an association between exercise and improved mental and physical health. Now, that’s not to say that going for a run will cure your depression or fix your ailing back, but it’s a step in the right direction. Exercise and activity strengthens our body and releases dopamine in our brain, which acts as a natural mood enhancer. Find ways to get moving every day because activity and exercise can help improve your physical and mental health.

Manage Your Expectations – It’s also important to have realistic expectations and goals. If you have unreasonable expectations, you’ll constantly be missing your target, and that can be self-defeating. You don’t need to try to lose 30 pounds in a month or run a half marathon next month. Instead, start with small, easily attainable goals and build on those. Something simple like “Do three things for your mental or physical health today,” and then write down what three things you did at the end of the day. Work on setting attainable goals and expectations so that you set yourself up for success.

De-stress Your Way – The holidays can be extremely stressful, and that can be hard on your mental and physical well-being. Now more than ever, it’s important that you find ways to help yourself de-stress. Take your dog for a walk, run on the treadmill, head to your room and read for 30 minutes, call a friend and talk about anything other than what’s stressing you. Find what works for you, and when you feel stress developing, alleviate it with healthy habits.

Reach Out To A Pain Management Specialist – Finally, if you’re still finding it difficult to manage physical or mental health issues this holiday season, please reach out to a professional. Not only is our team well-versed in helping treat physical chronic pain issues, but we have decades of knowledge of the mental side of pain and stress. If you don’t take care of the mental aspects of pain, anxiety and depression, the physical side will never truly resolve, and vice versa. Let us help find individual solutions for whatever is bothering you.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday season, but we know that won’t come easy for many people. Just know that we’re here for you if you need us. For more information, contact Dr. Cohn and his team today at (952) 738-4580.

What Chronic Pain Does To Your Demeanor

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

demeanorWe always try to provide each and every patient with the highest level of care, but every once in a while someone feels that we let them down for one reason or another. We always try to rectify the problem, because we never want a patient to feel abandoned if they had an issue. Recently, a patient left a review stating that we should research “what chronic pain does to your demeanor.”

Chronic pain is extremely complex and affects everyone differently, but one thing we feel that we understand way better than the average person is how chronic pain affects a person’s demeanor. Each day we’re helping patients navigate the physical and mental challenges presented by their chronic pain condition, and as we’ve documented on the blog in the past, we’ve also dealt with chronic pain personally. Again, all pain is different, but we’re certainly no stranger to how chronic pain can weigh heavy on a person and lead to personality or mood changes.

In an effort to help reach out to the person who left the review, and to shine a light on a problem that is oftentimes overlooked, we thought we’d devote a whole blog to better understanding how chronic pain can affect a person’s demeanor.

Chronic Pain And Your Demeanor

Chronic pain can affect your demeanor in a number of ways. If you’re constantly in physical pain, or you’re avoiding certain activities because they could cause pain, it’s going to have an affect on your psyche. It’s completely reasonable and even expected for chronic pain patients to be at a heightened risk for things like:

  • Irritability
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Lack of motivation
  • Mood swings
  • Worry
  • Short temper

The physical reason behind this is rather obvious. It’s not fun to constantly be in pain or in fear of pain, and that constant threat of pain can leave us in a sour mood. But pain also has a significant affect on the brain. Pain can disrupt normal brain cell communication and foster increased feelings of doubt, worry or anxiety. Moreover, the stress from dealing with a chronic pain condition can lead to bio-mechanical changes in the prefrontal cortex, which is the area of the brain that helps to regulate emotions. In other words, things are happening behind the scenes that actually affect how your brain regulates emotion.

So it’s not just that pain is making you more irritable because you’re physically uncomfortable, changes in how your brain communicates and the chemicals it produces can actually lead to changes in your demeanor. And while that can be scary, the fact that we understand this relationship is helpful in how we work to effectively treat it. Treating chronic pain isn’t just about healing the physical injury, it’s also about carefully managing the brain and working to improve cell communication to help reduce stress and the impact the physical pain is having on your entire body.

The biggest obstacle to effectively treating the totality of a chronic pain condition is how unique pain is to an individual. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution that will take care of a person’s body and mind. That’s also why chronic pain is rarely solved in just one visit. The provider really needs to understand the patient in order to address all aspects of their condition that are affecting their health. The process can be frustrating at times, but we know that you’ll come out better for it because we’ll be working to treat the physical, mental and emotional aspects of chronic pain.

We may not fully understand how chronic pain has affected your demeanor, but trust us when we say that we want to learn how it has and help to develop solutions to get both your mind and body back to a healthy place. If you’re having any mental or physical issues relating to your chronic pain condition, please reach out. We’ll do everything we can to find an individualized solution to your issue. For more information, give our team a call today at (952) 738-4580.