Why Social Distancing May Be Harder On Patients With Chronic Pain

April 15, 2020April 15, 2020 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Chronic pain is the number one cause of long-term disability here in the United States, and a chronic condition can be physically, emotionally and psychologically draining. And as you’ve probably noticed over the past few weeks, social distancing can also be physically, emotionally and psychologically draining. When these two events happen concurrently, the effects can be intensified, leaving chronic pain patients more susceptible to fall out from their condition or the current state of society.

Because of this, patients with chronic pain need to be even more diligent about how they handle their physical and mental health during this time of social distancing. Below, we share some tips to prevent your chronic condition or social distancing from causing problems as we work towards normalcy.

Chronic Pain and Social Distancing

Although patients with chronic pain may be more used to social distancing than the average person because their chronic condition may cause them to skip activities that they would have participated in, that doesn’t mean it gets any easier to pass on doing the activities that you love. To prevent your chronic pain or the quarantine from getting the best of you, consider the following tips.

Stay Connected – Make it a point to connect with others, even if you can’t see them face to face. Set up a Zoom meeting with some family members, or have a virtual happy hour over Facetime with friends or coworkers. Make sure you are not social isolating. Connecting with others, even if it’s over the phone or computer, can do wonders for your mental health, and that can help provide physical benefits as well.

Do Your Exercises – Don’t just use social isolation as a time to sit on the couch and eat whatever you want. Make sure you are still getting regular exercise and doing your physical therapy exercises, as these will help tremendously with your pain condition. Being sedentary will typically only make things worse since you’re not actively working to strengthen injured areas, so don’t use social distancing as an excuse to be inactive.

Mind, Body, You – Every day, make sure you’re doing at least one thing that benefits your mind, body and yourself, as this will help keep your physical, mental and emotional health in check. For example, do some exercise to care for your body, do some yoga or meditation to help your mind relax, and do something you personally love to do, like read a book or watch an episode of your favorite television series. Ignoring one of these aspects can make it harder to overcome a chronic condition.

Get Healthy Sleep – Sleep can be harder to come by if your routine is a little disjointed because of social distancing or your chronic condition, but getting restful sleep is imperative to your mental and physical health. A lack of sleep can intensify pain signals and affect your whole day, so really commit to going to bed and getting up around the same time to help your body get into a rhythm.

Connect With A Physician – If you’re having physical, mental or emotional issues during this time, contact a healthcare provider or your pain care specialist. This is uncharted territory for all of us, but we’ll get through this together. Let us help you with whatever you’re going through. We’re offering new ways to help our patients through these tough times, so contact our office to see what we can do for you if you’re struggling with any aspect of your chronic pain condition.

Managing Chronic Pain During The COVID-19 Outbreak

April 3, 2020 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Managing chronic pain can be challenging, but for many people this sentiment holds true now more than ever. We’re living in uncertain times as we continue to try to contain the spread of COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus. This virus is challenging for the entire world, but as we learn more about it, it’s clear that it is especially problematic for certain groups of people and those with underlying health conditions. Unfortunately, there is a lot of crossover between the groups who are susceptible to significant complications from the virus and those who live with chronic pain on a daily basis.

This is not meant to be an overly grim outlook on our current situation, but we should proceed with caution as we navigate the next few weeks and months. There is good news though, because we’re learning more about the virus every day and how to best care for those who contract the condition. However, we want to help explain how chronic pain patients should try to proceed these next few months to both stay safe and manage their chronic condition.

Chronic Pain and Coronavirus

For starters, patients with chronic pain need to be especially cognizant about the social distancing order, especially if your chronic condition affects your immune system or your respiratory system. Those with immunodeficiancies and lung problems can really have an issue overcoming the virus, and many of those who have succumbed to the virus have these types of underlying health conditions.

So with your social distancing in mind, follow these tips to help control your chronic pain and reduce your risk of contracting the coronavirus.

1. Exercise – You still need to find ways to exercise even if you can no longer go to the gym. Get creative about how you exercise and strengthen key muscle groups. Going for a run or a walk is still fine in most parts of the US so long as you try to stay further than six feet from others you encounter. Otherwise, dust off the treadmill or look up some online yoga exercises that you can perform in the comfort of your home. Just because you’re self-isolating doesn’t mean you get to be lazy, because that will make it harder to control your chronic pain.

2. Mental Health – Social distancing does not mean that you need to isolate yourself. Talk with family members regularly or set up recurring conference calls with friends. Finding some ways to take your mind off your pain or the state of the world will do wonders for your mental health, and that’s important for your physical health as well. Find healthy outlets for your mind.

3. Learn – Now is a great time to take up a new hobby or invest in a new skill. If you’re working from home, you may find some extra time on your hands if you’re no longer commuting for your job or your hours have been cut. Don’t just use this time to watch Netflix and lay on the couch. Your body will feel more engaged by new activities and will take your mind off your pain, which is good for your health. Come out of this quarantine with one new skill your proud of, and it may even help your pain condition.

4. Connect Virtually – If you’re having questions about your condition or how to best manage an issue, see if you can connect with your physician for a virtual visit. Some clinics are still open, but many physicians and physical therapy departments are offering telemedicine options to help see patients more easily. There are still ways to connect with your physician, even in the wake of a pandemic.

Keep these four tips in mind, and really invest in your physical and mental health these next few weeks and months. It may seem challenging, but you may be able to come out of this with a better grip on your chronic condition than you had before. For help with any of this, reach out to our office today.

Managing Chronic Pain During These Challenging Times

March 18, 2020 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Needless to say, we’re in unprecedented times in America and across the globe in terms of how we’re reacting to the COVID-19 outbreak. COVID-19, also termed the coronavirus, is a virus that spreading like wildfire and can have significant health impacts on anyone who comes down the the virus.

Specifically, older individuals and those with immunodeficiency disorders are at the highest risk of severe complications from the virus, and in our experience, individuals with chronic pain tend to be more likely to have an immunodeficiency disorder than the general population.

Now more than ever, we need to be diligent in how we manage our chronic pain. Even if you don’t have an immunodeficiency disorder and consider yourself young and healthy outside of your chronic pain, you need to make some conscious changes to how you manage your chronic pain in the coming days and weeks. We share some tips and situation updates below.

Managing Chronic Pain During The Coronavirus Outbreak

As we’ve stated on the blog in the past, exercise is one of the best things you can do to help manage your chronic pain condition. Exercise helps to strengthen key muscle groups and releases endorphins that can help mask some pain signals. However, gyms are closing because of the virus, so you may need to find a new way to work out. Going for a walk or a run is still fine so long as you avoid group running, and we encourage chronic pain patients to look for ways to stay active inside their home. Dust off that old exercise equipment, or do some home-based exercise routines like yoga or balance board training. Find ways to stay active without going to the gym.

If you need to have a consultation with a physician, whether it’s for a new sickness or because of your current chronic pain situation, you can take solace in knowing that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is making it easier for physicians to connect with patients through telemedicine. As long as the provider is acting in good faith, they can consult with patients over electronic means like Skype, Google Hangout and Facetime. Doctors can even do this across state borders, an action that was announced during a White House press briefing this morning. We’re still sifting through all these changes, but know that we’re working as diligently as we can to make it easier for patients to connect with physicians while still following smart social distancing guidelines.

Lastly, remember to take some time to focus on your mental health during these trying times. Your mental health plays a significant role in how your physical condition responds to treatment, so you need to take care of your physical and mental health. This may be easier said than done, but find ways to give yourself a mental break and to safely alleviate stress. Call friends and family members, organize a game night with your family, or dive into a book series you’ve been meaning to read. Taking your mind off other stressors can help with your physical condition, so keep that in mind over the next few weeks.

We’ll get through this together. If you need anything during this time, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office for answers or information.

How To Thrive If You Have Chronic Pain

March 10, 2020 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Chronic pain conditions can leave you feeling like you’re in a daily battle with your body, and that can make it hard for you to live life to the fullest. When it comes to not only surviving, but thriving if you have chronic pain, you really need to focus on certain aspects of your health and daily life. Below, we share five ways to help you thrive in your life even though you’re battling chronic pain.

Living Your Best Life With Chronic Pain

There’s no perfect solution for treating chronic pain because everyone’s pain is different and what works for one person may not work for another. However, if you really want to work to take back control of your life from your daily pain, consider these tips. Many patients have found that a combination of these changes and ideas can help them work towards living their best life in spite of their chronic pain.

1. Daily Exercise – We know that movement can be painful if you have chronic pain, and your pain condition can make it difficult to find the will to be active, but exercise is one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental health. Not only does it help to target painful structures and strengthen muscles, but it can also help release endorphins that mask pain and leave you in a happier mindset. If traditional exercise like running or gym work is too painful, consider less intense exercise like swimming or cycling.

2. One Thing Each Day – Find a way to take one tangible step towards reducing your pain each and every day. Maybe that’s in the form of exercise or doing your physical therapy routine, but try to do at least one thing each day that you can point to and say “this helped with some aspect of my chronic pain.” If you do this daily, odds are you’ll find yourself in more control over your pain.

3. Active Activities – Staying active is another great way to live your best life when you have chronic pain. Obviously this is easier said than done, and by activity, we don’t just mean exercise or physical exertion. Find an activity that helps to take your mind off your pain. You don’t need to break a sweat in order to find new ways to turn your attention to something other than your pain. Dive into a puzzle, go for a walk with a friend or try your hand at yoga. Anything that pulls your attention way from your pain will help you live life to the fullest. Find what works for you.

4. Connect With A Physician – You shouldn’t try to tackle your chronic pain on your own. Sync up with a pain management specialist in your area to get a comprehensive diagnosis and individualized treatment. Knowing that you have a professional in your corner who is working to help treat your pain can positively affect your mental health, and that can go a long way in helping you thrive in spite of chronic pain.

5. Don’t Ignore Your Mental Health – Chronic pain is often viewed as a physical problem, but it also impacts our mental health. If we solely focus on the physical aspect of chronic pain, we may be ignoring an even bigger mental health issue. Chronic pain can increase your risk of depression, anxiety and other cognitive issues, and failing to recognize and treat these conditions alongside your pain can inhibit treatment success. Make sure you trust your care to a specialist who is willing to treat all parts of your chronic pain issue.

For help with your pain journey, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today.

The Link Between Chronic Pain And Borderline Personality Disorder

March 3, 2020 / Thomas Cohn, MD

bpd New research presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine 2020 Annual Meeting found a significant connection between patients with chronic pain and borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Results of a systemic review found that nearly 1 in 4 patients with chronic noncancer pain had some features of borderline personality disorder, including mood instability and difficultly maintaining relationships.

“The fact that one fourth of individuals with CNCP could have co-occurring BPD underscores the need for improved access to good psychological care,” lead investigator Fei Cao, MD, PhD, University of Missouri at Kansas City, told Medscape Medical News in an interview.

Chronic Pain and BPD

For the study, Cao and colleagues reviewed 11 studies published between 1994 and 2019. During their investigation, they found that 23.3 percent of patients with chronic pain expressed traits of BPD. Some of the conditions that expressed BPD traits included:

Chronic headaches (11.3%)
Arthritis (27.5%)
Chronic spinal cord pain (24.3%)

The biggest takeaway for Cao and his team was that doctors can’t just focus on chronic pain, there needs to be a comprehensive approach to total body wellness.

“The point of this research is that you cannot help these patients in the long-run if you only treat their pain. We also have to treat their BPD. This can then make pain easier to control,” said Cao. “If we treat the borderline personality disorder and address the psychiatric needs as well as the pain needs of the patient, then we will be able to treat their pain more successfully.”

Not everyone with chronic pain suffers from BPD, but this study speaks to how underlying conditions can oftentimes make chronic pain more difficult to treat. If we’re not treating the whole patient, treatment success can be undermined, especially when it’s a psychological component at play. Having healthy mental and emotional health can help to improve functional physical outcomes, and the opposite is also true. If we ignore our mental and emotional health, some of the treatments were’ trying for physical ailments may not be as successful because we’re not treating the totality of our issues.

Cao concluded by saying that physicians should consider screening patients with unresponsive chronic pain that may or may not be showing signs of BPD. Not only can it help the patient improve their mental health, but it may also help increase the success of current treatments for chronic pain.

So if you’ve been dealing with chronic pain and it’s affecting your mood or your mental state, reach out to a physical medicine specialist to get a comprehensive diagnosis and a treatment plan suited to your individual needs.