In Pain, Stigmatized and Unsupported – What It’s Like To Have Chronic Pain in 2022

August 4, 2022 / Thomas Cohn, MD

As technology advances and we get a better understanding of the underlying causes of chronic pain, you’d think we’d be able to put up a better fight against the debilitating condition. However, a recent survey from the U.S. Pain Foundation uncovered the true landscape of what it’s like to have chronic pain in 2022. Needless to say, we have a lot of work to do in addressing the problem.

The Current Chronic Pain Landscape

For their survey, the U.S. Pain Foundation interviewed 2,275 patients with chronic pain, 72 caregivers and 31 health care professionals to better understand the health care crisis that is chronic pain. The results revealed that for many people, pain is significant, and they don’t know where to turn for support. Here’s a look at a number of the findings from the survey.

On a scale of 1-10, more than half of respondents (52%) rated their average pain level a 7 or higher.
99% said that their chronic pain condition restricted their ability to engage in routine activities.
Only 18% were employed full-time.
79% said they felt stigmatized because of their pain, and 63% said they felt stigmatized by their provider.
1 in 4 patients said they rarely or never had their feelings validated or listened to by their provider.
79% of respondents currently take prescription medications, and 77% felt that it was the most helpful treatment for their pain.
49% of respondents said cost of services was their leading barrier to treatment.
41% of people with pain said they felt their insurance coverage decisions were driven by cost, not what was in their best interest medically.

There’s a lot to sift through in this report, but it provides a pretty rough outlook on chronic pain in 2022. A couple of the biggest takeaways that we want to touch on are in regards to:

Pain – Chronic pain is a condition that affects millions of Americans, but it seems unlikely that people realize just how painful these conditions can be. With more than half of people rating their pain at a 7 or higher, it’s clear that pain isn’t just bothersome or uncomfortable, it’s downright painful. We need to work on lessening pain scores.

Stigma – Fighting the stigma of chronic pain has been one of our top priorities. We pride ourselves in giving each patient the full time and attention they deserve to really understand their pain and how it’s affecting them. By doing this, we believe we’re better able to match patients to active treatments like physical therapy, exercise, breathing techniques or mindfulness training to help overcome their individual issue.

Treatment – As we’e said countless times on the blog in the past, medications can absolutely play a pivotal role in helping you overcome a chronic pain condition, but they shouldn’t be a standalone option. While the report did mention that multidisciplinary approaches were common, it’s a bit concerning to see that 77% felt that it was the best treatment for their pain. It’s possibly the best treatment for their symptoms, but it’s unlikely to be the best treatment for their underlying issue. Hopefully patients are taking advantage of the symptom relief provided by medications to pursue other endeavors like exercise or physical therapy to also attack the root issue of their pain disorder.

If you want someone who won’t make you feel stigmatized and will be a resource for you on your road to recovery from chronic pain, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today at (952) 738-4580.

How Can We Do More For Chronic Pain Patients?

July 7, 2022 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Chronic pain affects more than 50 million people in the US alone, and yet it doesn’t seem to be an issue that is getting the attention it deserves. We need to be doing more for the millions of people who battle a chronic pain diagnosis on a daily basis, but how can we provide better care?

We don’t pretend to have all the answers, but we’re going to use today’s blog to talk about some of the ways that pain care in America and across the globe could be improved.

Solving Chronic Pain On An Individual Level

Let’s first look at the problem on a local level. What can a pain care physician do to help solve chronic pain? They need to focus on what they can do to provide the best level of care to the patients they are seeing in their office. This involves:

Taking the time to listen – Everyone’s pain is different, and there are no one-size-fits-all solutions to chronic pain. Doctors need to take the time to really get to know their patients and their condition so that they can help them find a treatment that works for them.

Don’t go for the quick short-term fix – Opioids can help mask the symptoms of chronic pain, but they won’t treat the underlying issue. As we’ve said on the blog countless times in the past, prescription medications can play a pivotal role in a comprehensive treatment plan, but they should not be the only form of treatment. Doctors should not rush to medicate without pursuing more active treatment methods.

Be ready to pivot – If one treatment isn’t working, it means that doctors need to be ready to pivot to another treatment. As we’ve mentioned, pain is highly individualized, so what works for one person isn’t guaranteed to work for another, and providers need to be flexible in their approach.

Continue to learn – Pain care is always evolving, and pain physicians need to keep furthering their understanding of chronic pain and how to best treat difficult cases. Doctors need to continue to seek out highly credible research in order to provide patients with the highest level of care.

Solving Chronic Pain On A Global Level

Solving chronic pain on a global level will take a more concentrated effort. Obviously there is no simple solution, but there are two main areas we should be focusing on. For starters, chronic pain prevalence needs to become more mainstream. Roughly one in five Americans deal with a chronic pain condition, so odds are a number of your family and friends are fighting an invisible fight each and every day, and many of them aren’t talking about it. We need to combat the stigma of chronic pain and find ways to talk about it so that more people are willing to take the necessary steps to treat their issue head on. Chronic pain patients shouldn’t have to live in the shadows, hiding their pain from those around them.

The other main way to work towards an effective solution to chronic pain is to increase funding for research. As we mentioned above, 50 million Americans battle a chronic pain condition on a regular basis, so there is clearly an audience ready to jump towards more effective treatments. We just need to find them, and the best way to do that is to invest in research programs dedicated to better understanding chronic pain.

If you want to speak to a pain management specialist who will work hard to accomplish those individual tasks and champion the idea of tackling chronic pain on a larger scale, trust your care to Dr. Cohn and his team. For more information or to set up an appointment, give his office a call today at (952) 738-4580.

How Is The Pandemic Is Affecting Pain Patients

September 30, 2020 / Thomas Cohn, MD

pain Although it seems like we’re starting to come out the other side, we’re still dealing with the fallout of COVID-19 on a daily basis. And while the virus tends to have the most severe effects on older adults, another vulnerable group during this period are chronic pain patients. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at how chronic pain sufferers are being disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pain Patients and the Pandemic

Chronic pain can make getting out of bed a daily battle, and when you add a pandemic to the mix, it only gets worse. Here’s a look at some of the unique ways that the pandemic is affecting patients with chronic conditions.

Isolation – We’re supposed to be limiting our contact with others as much as possible to help cut down on potential transmission, and that can leave us feeling isolated. Those feelings can be amplified in patients with a chronic pain condition who may already feel isolated because of their individual pain condition. Make sure you are staying connected with others as best you can, be it by phone, Facetime or in person with distancing measures in mind.

Worsened Symptoms – If a chronic pain patient caught COVID-19, there’s a chance their symptoms would be worse than the average person’s symptoms. Research has found that genetic and autoimmune deficiencies could contribute to worsening symptoms, and those same issues could have an underlying role in your chronic pain condition. Everyone should make smart decisions when it comes to preventing potential exposure, but this is especially true for chronic pain patients.

Delayed Access To Care – Elective surgeries were delayed when COVID numbers were surging in Minnesota, and now medical centers are dealing with a backlog of patients. This can make it harder to see a doctor as soon as you would like. COVID-19 is delaying access to medical care for all individuals, but patients with chronic pain that may have more regular checkups and screenings now may face additional challenges staying on top of their condition.

Psychological Effects – As we’ve preached about on the blog in the past, chronic pain conditions are rarely only a physical issue. There is also a big psychological side to treating the condition. However, this could become harder to manage as the stress of COVID-19 is adding mental strain to our plate. Try to ensure that you are taking time for your mental health and your physical health each and every day.

If you are finding it even harder to manage your chronic pain during these turbulent times, know that we are here for you. We will do everything in our power to help you have more good days than bad. For more information on how we’ll do this, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today.

The Daily Challenges Faced By Those With Chronic Pain

February 12, 2020 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Living with chronic pain can be extremely frustrating, and for a number of reasons outside of the actual pain. There are so many daily challenges faced by those with chronic pain that often go overlooked or ignored, so we wanted to bring awareness to the reality that many individuals with chronic pain go through on a regular basis. Here’s a look at some of the daily challenges faced by those with chronic pain outside of the pain itself.

Life With Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is so much more than physical pain. Here’s a look at the struggle of trying to get through your day with chronic pain.

1. You Don’t Look In Pain – A cold can take the color from your face and a broken arm will require a noticeable sling, but for many patients battling chronic pain, there are few outward symptoms. They may put on a brave face, but their neural network inside their body may be telling a different story. Because they may not look like they are in pain, many people without chronic pain can’t relate to the pain you’re dealing with on the inside. They may think you’re faking it or playing up your pain because you “look fine,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Chronic pain patients are often stuck between a rock and a hard place. They either have to pretend like everything is alright when it’s not or be accused of faking or embellishing their pain.

2. Treatment Isn’t Always Straightforward – For a lot of medical conditions, we have a standard care plan in place. If you sprain your ankle, you RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate), or you take antibiotics for certain infections. However, chronic pain is so unique to the individual that there’s no one-size-fits-all care plan. Patients often have to see multiple doctors and try a range of treatments before they find something that works for them. This process can be very exhausting and even compound the problem.

3. Social Effects – Chronic pain can also wreck havoc on your social life. Pain can keep you from wanting to head to the movies or play Frisbee in the park with some friends, but pain doesn’t even have to exist to cause these concerns. The possibility of a painful flareup is enough for some people to play it safe and stay home, which can lead to further feelings of isolation. Oftentimes patients with chronic pain want to participate, but their pain or its potential hinders their ability.

4. Pain Is So Inconsistent – It would be a lot easier to plan your life if you knew when a flareup was going to occur and when your good or bad days were going to be. Unfortunately, chronic pain doesn’t work like this. The inconsistency of chronic pain can really affect your mental and emotional state, furthering the problem.

These are just a few of the ways chronic pain can impact a person’s daily life. If you or someone you know is struggling with chronic pain, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office to see how we can help.

What Patients Wish They Would Have Known Earlier About Their Chronic Pain

September 5, 2019 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Everybody can look back at some aspects of their life and say “I wish I knew then what I know now.” The same can be said for anyone who is dealing with chronic pain or who has progressed through a pain management plan. Oftentimes life would have been so much easier if we just would have known a few things back then. That sentiment is the focus of today’s blog. We’re going to share some things that many patients with chronic pain wish they would have known earlier in the process, and hopefully they can help you come to an understanding earlier than you may have on your own.

If Only I Would Have Known Sooner

Here’s a look at some sentiments a lot of patients wish they would have come to grips with sooner. We understand these may not apply to every single situation, but at least a few points should apply to your pain problem.

1. Pain is not just physical – One of the biggest misconceptions about your chronic pain is that it’s only a physical issue. Pain has a way of impacting us physically, mentally and emotionally, and it can exhaust all aspects of our life. You can’t just focus on the physical aspect of your health, because ignoring your emotional and mental health will wear you down and leave you feeling worse off. Treating pain needs to be a multi-faceted approach that focuses on your total wellness. If you’re feeling anxious, tired or mentally or emotionally fatigued, bring this up to your care physician because taking care of these areas of your life will help your physical pain as well.

2. Pain isn’t always curable, but it is treatable – What we mean by this is that although we do everything in our power to completely rid you of your pain, there’s no guarantee that you will be completely pain free when all is said and done. That being said, we are extremely confident that we will be able to help decrease your symptoms or help you get a better handle of your pain condition, no matter what you’re dealing with. We’ve never met a patient that we’ve felt that we couldn’t at least make life a little better for. But it’s important to manage your expectations. Assume that things will get better, but understand you might not be back to a completely pain-free way of living.

3. It’s going to take work – As we’ve said on the blog in the past, there is no magic bill to treat chronic pain. Painkillers can help mask pain, but they won’t treat the underlying problem. Most pain conditions best respond to physical therapy, controlled exercise, weight management and other healthy lifestyle choices. This takes concentrated effort, but it’s worth it. If you just hope time heals all wounds, you may be surprised at how little progress you see.

4. Control what you can control – A final aspect we want to share is that you need to focus only on what you can control. You can’t control how your pain responds to treatment, but you can control the effort you put in to treatment. You can’t control your good and bad days, but you can control your attitude and mindset, even if it’s not always easy. Know that some things are out of your control, and that’s ok. If you focus on what you can control, you’re going to be in a better mental space, and it often leads to better physical outcomes.