Chronic Pain Can Affect Your Ability To Regulate Negative Emotions

July 29, 2021 / Thomas Cohn, MD

A new study out of Australia has found evidence that chronic pain can alter the brain in such a way that a person may have a harder time regulating negative emotions.

The news isn’t all that surprising, especially since there have long been links between chronic pain and feelings of anxiety or depression, but it does help to provide more hard evidence that it’s imperative that you care for your mental health if you’re been diagnosed with the physically debilitating condition of chronic pain. It’s clear that chronic pain doesn’t just cause physical pain, it also affects how we process and regulate emotions, which can make treatment all that more difficult.

Pain And Emotion Regulation

For the study, researchers compared 24 individuals with chronic pain to 24 individuals with no history of chronic pain. Researchers examined the GABA levels of each patient, which is an inhibative neurotransmitter in the medial prefrontal cortex. Lower levels of these transmitters means that brain cells can’t communicate as effectively, which can make it harder to regulate emotions like anxiousness or worry. Researchers found that patients with chronic pain were found to have significantly lower levels of the neurotransmitter than the control subjects, regardless of what type of chronic pain condition they were suffering from.

“A decrease in GABA means that the brain cells can no longer communicate to each other properly,” said Sylvia Gustin, lead researcher on the study. “When there’s a decrease in this neurotransmitter, our actions, emotions and thoughts get amplified.”

Researchers said that the study only found a correlation between chronic pain and neurotransmitter imbalances, but they also believe that it’s possible that pain could be the root cause of these brain changes.

“Everything starts with stress,” said Gustin. “When someone is in pain, it increases stress hormones like cortisol, which can trigger massive increases in glutamate. This happens during the initial, acute stage of pain.”

They believe that immune cells in certain parts of the brain then attempt to regulate this downturn in neurotransmitter ability, but this process can make it harder for the body to manage certain emotions.

“As a result of this disruption,” said Gustin, “a person’s ability to feel positive emotions, such as happiness, motivation and confidence may be taken away – and they can’t easily be restored.”

Hope On The Horizon

However, it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to chronic pain. With this further understanding, researchers hope to conduct additional testing that can better understand this connection and in turn develop some treatment techniques that specifically target GABA and gluatmine levels in the medial prefrontal cortex. And while those treatments are being developed, the study also shines a spotlight on the importance of mental health management if you’re dealing with chronic pain.

So if you are battling chronic pain and you’ve noticed that you’re having a tough time regulating emotions or that mood swings have become more frequent, reach out to a specialist who understands the importance of managing the chronic pain condition in its entirety. Dr. Cohn and his team can help find an individualized treatment that’s right for you and that accounts for your mental and physical needs. For more information, reach out to his clinic today.

How To Prevent Back And Neck Pain If You Work From Home

July 22, 2021 / Thomas Cohn, MD

The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed how business is conducted, with millions of Americans now working from the comfort of their home. Some workers will undoubtedly head back to the office if they aren’t already there, but countless workers will stick with a work from home schedule or have more remote work days than they did in the past.

This schedule flexibility may be nice, but working from home can present its own unique challenges for your neck and spine. In today’s blog, we share some tips for preventing back and neck pain if you’ll be working from home more often going forward.

Working From Home And Your Spine

Here’s a look at a number of different ways that working from home can challenge your back and neck, and what you can do to prevent pain from setting in:

1. Check Your Seat – If you’re working from home, you may have the luxury of choosing where you’d like to set up your office. Maybe you can get some work done from from the bedroom, perhaps you work on the couch, or maybe your strong WIFI signal allows you to work from the patio. These spots may not be as supportive for your spine compared to your office chair, so you really need to be mindful of your posture in these positions. Better yet, only work from a chair that provides ample support to your spine.

2. Practice Good Posture – Even if your chair is supportive, you need to make sure you have good posture when you’re seated. Don’t hunch forward or lean back, because this will put excess pressure on your cervical and lumbar spine. Strive to keep your head positioned directly above your shoulders and perform regular posture checks so that you can correct your posture if you catch yourself leaning or slouching.

3. Invest In An Office Chair – If you’re going to be working from home on a long-term basis, it may be in your best interest to invest in a quality office chair. Odds are a nicer office chair will be more supportive than any chair you have in your house at the moment, and that new chair can go a long way in helping protect your spine for years to come.

4. Strive To Exercise And Be Active – Sometimes it’s easy to fall into bad exercise habits if we don’t have to get out of the house every day, especially if you used to work out on your way home from the office. Still make it a point to get regular exercise if you have the freedom to work from home. You’re probably saving a little time by not having to commute to and from work, so dedicate that time to a workout. This will help to strengthen and protect your spine.

5. Talk To A Chronic Pain Specialist – Finally, if you are starting to develop some neck or back pain, reach out to a chronic pain specialist. They’ll be able to take a look at your spine and talk about the ergonomics of your work from home setup to see if simple changes can help relieve your back pain. If your just try to ignore back pain, odds are it only will get worse. Connect with a chronic pain specialist and take care of your spine today.

For more information, or for help with your back pain, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today.

Tips For Keeping Chronic Pain At Bay During The Summer

July 15, 2021 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Summer in Minnesota can be a wonderful time to be outdoors and enjoy some of the trails and waterways that the state has to offer, but that’s easier said than done if you suffer from a chronic pain condition. Sometimes chronic pain can be unpredictable, but you can work to limit flareups and bad days if you are smart about how you approach your condition during the summer. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at some tips for helping to keep your chronic pain condition at bay during the summer months.

Preventing Chronic Pain In The Summer

Here’s a list of things you should keep in mind this summer to help limit chronic pain’s hold over you.

1. Make Water Your Friend – As we explained in a previous blog, you can help to keep chronic pain at bay by making water your friend this summer. Taking your exercise routine to the pool or lake can help keep you from overheating, and water’s natural resistance can make for a great place to do some exercise routines. Drinking plenty of water will also help you stay hydrated and avoid muscle cramping and other heat-related health issues.

2. Mind Your Diet – Summer may provide more opportunities to eat on the go or at a backyard barbecue, but it’s important not to let your diet contribute to your chronic pain condition. Poor dietary choices can increase inflammation in your body, which can worsen chronic pain symptoms. Instead of eating a lot of red meat or unhealthy options at a barbecue this summer, use the improved weather to help make it easier to get a range of healthy vitamins and nutrients. Pick your own fruits and veggies at a local farm, or head to the farmer’s market and pick up some nutrious options that will help to calm inflammation.

3. Carve Out Time For Exercise/PT – We know that summer can get busy, but that doesn’t mean you should skip regular exercise or your daily physical therapy routine. You need to make time for these exercises if you truly want to gain some control over your chronic pain condition. Even though life can get a little more hectic during the summer, make sure you make time to do your therapy exercises.

4. Healthy Sleep Patterns – We tend to be out a little later when the nights get longer, and that can throw off our bedtime routine. It’s fine to stay out late once in a while, but strive to develop a healthy sleeping routine this summer. Go to bed and wake up around the same time every day, and eliminate distractions like cell phones and televisions from your room to help create an ideal sleep environment.

5. Dress The Part – Finally, keep an eye on the weather report and dress appropriately. Breathable clothes and sunhats can help prevent overheating on hot days, and keeping an extra jacket in the car can keep you warm if it gets cooler sooner than you expected. Making sure your body is at a comfortable temperature can help keep chronic pain flareups at bay.

If you do these five things, we’re confident that you’ll be able to take control of your chronic pain condition this summer. For more information or for help with any aspect of your pain issue, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today.

Many US Service Members Battle Chronic Pain Daily

July 6, 2021 / Thomas Cohn, MD

A new report suggests that chronic pain is more common in military members than it is in the average population, an eye-opening statistic when you consider the physical capabilities needed to become an active service member. It also begs the question, “Are we doing enough to combat chronic pain among our men and women in the armed services?”

According to a new study by the nonpartisan group Rand Corp., between 31 and 44 percent of active-duty service members suffer from chronic pain. In fact, chronic pain is listed as the main factor leading to disability for active duty service members. Rand Corp. stated that the Defense Department has recently begun to take tangible steps to help combat the problem of chronic pain among our troops, but it’s not just about access to chronic pain care, it’s about access to quality pain care.

“Accurately measuring the quality of pain treatment is an essential step toward improving care,” the group said in its report.

Outpacing Civilian Chronic Pain

Chronic pain affects roughly 20 percent of the civilian population, so the fact that chronic pain among service members is roughly double that is a major cause for concern. And while being in the military is obviously a very physically demanding job, it’s not just about the physical toll that they put their body through, it’s also about the mental and emotional stress that comes with being a service member. When you also consider the stigma of wanting to appear tough and in turn delaying treatment, it’s easy to see why chronic pain is so prevalent in our armed forces.

“The substantially higher prevalence of pain among service members has been attributed to a high rate of injuries from deployments, the mental and physical demands of military service, and a possible tendency to delay care-seeking for painful conditions,” said Rand Corp. in their report.

Other findings from the report include:

Back pain and joint disorders are the most common types of chronic pain experienced by our troops.
Musculoskeletal pain accounted for 60 percent of limited duty days and the reason why 65 percent of soldiers were medically unfit to deploy.
Service members also experience more complex pain syndromes compared to the average citizen.

The only good news to come out of this report is that fact that because chronic pain is so prevalent, it’s easier to draw attention to the issue. If the military is willing to spend the money to help find chronic pain solutions for our troops, it may also spill over into chronic pain care for the average American. Better yet, the Department of Defense could fund billions of dollars into top notch research programs to help find treatments and cures for a wide range of chronic pain issues.

Regardless of whether or not you’re a service member, if you’re dealing with chronic pain, trust your case to an experienced pain management specialist like Dr. Cohn. He’ll work with you every step of the way to find an individualized treatment plan suited to your specific needs. Click here to learn how you can get in contact with his office.

How To Gain Independence From Chronic Pain

July 1, 2021 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Independence Day is right around the corner. It’s a day when we all take time to celebrate America’s independence from Britain and spend time with friends and family. And while America was able to break free from something that was holding it back, chronic pain patients yearn for that same ability to be able to free themselves from their pain condition.

In today’s blog, we take a closer look at some of the things you can do to help you gain independence from your chronic pain condition.

Breaking Free From Chronic Pain

When it comes to gaining independence from a chronic pain condition, there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy that will be perfect for every patient. With that in mind, there are some general things you can do to help make it more likely that you can overcome your condition or help reduce symptoms. Here’s a look at some helpful ways to break free from your chronic pain condition.

1. Exercise and Movement – Exercise and daily movement are simple steps to help your body stay healthy, which should help with the expression of your pain condition. Exercise builds muscles so they can better support key structures, and it helps pump healthy blood throughout your body, which delivers vitamins and nutrients to vital areas that can help with pain control. You don’t have to go through a rigorous workout at the gym to achieve these benefits either. Go swimming or take the dog for a walk, anything that will get you moving.

2. Consult With An Expert – Dr. Cohn has helped treat people in all walks of life facing all sorts of different pain conditions, and he can do the same for you. You don’t need to fight this battle alone. Consult with an expert who is truly interested in figuring out what’s going on and how to best treat it. The first step in treating a problem is making sure that you know exactly what you’re dealing with, and a pain management specialist can do just that. They can also help you pivot to new treatments if your original plan isn’t producing results.

3. Count Your Small Wins – Everyone wants to be completely pain free, but that rarely happens overnight. Because of this, you need to acknowledge small victories and partial progress as it comes along. Celebrating your progress can help make it easier to stick to a care plan or with a physical therapy program, and that can make it more likely that you’ll eventually reach your end goal of being pain free.

4. Develop A Support System – Chronic pain can leave you feeling alone and isolated from the world, so it’s important that you have a support system to fall back on when things get tough. Whether that’s friends, family, an online support group or your medical team, make sure you have someone you can talk to or vent to when things aren’t going the greatest, or when you want to talk about the big strides you’re making. A simple Google search for “chronic pain online support group” should yield plenty of promising results.

5. Take Can Of Your Mental Health – Far too often we focus on the physical toll that chronic pain is taking on us, and we can ignore another important aspect of our health – our mental health. Poor mental health or feelings of anxiety and depression can make it much harder to get control over your chronic pain condition. It can also make it harder for us to find the motivation to do what needs to be done to combat chronic pain, which only makes it harder to break out of this cycle. Don’t ignore your mental health when you’re addressing your pain condition.

If you can do these five things, we’re confident that you’ll move closer to independence from your chronic pain condition. And for more information or for help with your pain issue, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today.