pain

Tips For Keeping Chronic Pain At Bay During The Summer

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

chronic pain summerSummer 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.

Western Diet May Be Making Chronic Pain Symptoms Worse

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

western dietMore than one in five adults in the US is living with chronic pain, and a new study suggests that our diet may play a big role in the expression of this pain. Conversely, making improvements in what we eat could help to lessen the impact that chronic pain has on our daily lives.

According to a recent study published in Nature Metabolism, Western-style diets, which are typically rich in omega-6 polyunstaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), may be linked to an increased risk of chronic pain. PUFAs, are common in foods like cured meats, processed snacks and fast food, which are oftentimes far too common in a Western diet. Moreover, the effects they have may be amplified in patients with comorbidities, like diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

Western Diet and Chronic Pain

Researchers looked at the effects of the Western-style diet on both mice and humans, and they found a connection between an increased presence of PUFAs and a higher likelihood of chronic pain symptom expression. For example, in patients with type 2 diabetes, researchers found that those with the greatest pain and those who were most likely to take pain medication to help calm symptoms had the highest levels of omega-6 fatty acids in their skin.

However, researchers were also encouraged by what these findings may mean for the average chronic pain sufferer. They found that both inflammation- and neuropathy-related pain may be improved through dietary modifications and healthy lifestyle changes. Additionally, certain medications could help to block the release of PUFAs into the bloodstream, further helping to relieve symptoms.

The good news is that we’re gaining more information each and every day on how different lifestyle factors can treat or exacerbate our chronic pain condition, and this study shows just how important it is to be cognizant of what we put in our bodies, especially if we’re overweight or dealing with diabetes. Diet and exercise are two controllable aspects of everyday life that have a major impact on how our body processes and expresses pain. Changing your diet likely won’t completely solve your chronic pain issue on its own, but if you pair it with exercise and you take care of your mental and emotional health, all signs point to you being able to better control or even cure your chronic pain condition.

It’s not going to be easy, which is why we’re here to help. If you want to get more information about your chronic pain condition, or if you want assistance altering your diet so that it helps relieve instead of contribute to your chronic pain condition, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team of chronic pain specialists today. No two chronic pain conditions are the same, and we’ll give you the individualized attention to help solve your chronic pain problem. For more information or to get started on your chronic pain treatment journey, click here to learn how to get in contact with Dr. Cohn’s office.

When Caring For Chronic Pain, Remember Your ABCs

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

abcChronic pain can be an incredibly frustrating condition to treat. Some days are great, others are hell. It’s also a condition that is so unique to the individual that what works for one person may not work for someone else. With that said, many chronic pain sufferers can make progress in treating their condition if they remember their ABCs. In today’s blog, we explain what it means to remember your ABCs when it comes to treating your chronic pain condition.

The ABCs Of Chronic Pain Care

When trying to overcome your chronic pain condition, remember your ABCs, which stand for:

Acknowledge

The first step in overcoming any problem is to acknowledge that it exists. If you ignore it and try to push through your day like nothing is wrong, it’s not going to go away. In fact, it’s only likely to get worse. Acknowledge your condition and attack it head on instead of hoping it will just magically resolve. And once you’ve acknowledged that a problem exists, it’s time to…

Be Proactive

Being proactive is the next step in conquering your chronic pain condition. While passive treatments like rest and painkillers can help to calm symptoms, they will do nothing to treat the underlying cause. Instead, pursue an active treatment that targets the root cause of the problem so that you can experience long-term relief. Active techniques like exercise, physical therapy, targeted stretching and cognitive behavioral therapy can all help to provide symptom relief because they target the source of your problem. And if you need help cultivating a proactive treatment routine or figuring out which one is right for your, it’s time to….

Consult With An Expert

Finally, to take control of your chronic pain situation, call in an expert like Dr. Cohn. He understands that chronic pain is unique to the individual, so he will take the time to get to know you and your pain condition. He’ll begin with a comprehensive diagnosis and eventually work his way towards providing you with a carefully managed treatment plan that can be adjusted based on your progress or any difficulties along the way. He also knows that you may need help along the way, so he’ll always be there for assistance or guidance if you have any questions or concerns. It’s going to take some time and it’s not always going to be easy, but we’re going to be by your side under you have regained control over your chronic pain situation. We’ve done it for countless patients in the past, and we want to do the same for you.

So if you’re ready to follow your ABCs and conquer your chronic pain condition, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his office today.

5 Things Your Pain Specialist Wants You To Know

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

doctor knowManaging a chronic pain condition is easier if you come in the with right mindset and expectations, and as a pain care provider, we want to help set these expectations so that the process is a little easier on you. With that in mind, we’ve decided to share a few things about your pain journey that we believe will help you along the way. In today’s blog, we share five things your pain care team wants you to know to help make your path to recovery easier.

What Your Doc Wants You To Know

Pain is unique to the individual, but with that said, knowing these five things about your pain treatment plan can help increase your likelihood of finding success with your rehabilitation. Here’s what we want you to know.

1. It Will Take Time – There’s no magic pill to help completely take care of your chronic pain issue, so you need to come in with the expectation that treatment will take some time. Your condition likely didn’t just develop overnight, so it’s unreasonable to expect it to resolve in that way. Putting in the time and sticking with your treatment plan can help you live a pain free life down the road, which is something we all want.

2. It Will Take Work – Similarly, your pain condition isn’t just going to go away by laying in bed. Physical therapy and functional rehabilitation takes work. We’ll be with you every step of the way, and at times you probably won’t like us, but you’ll appreciate the work you put in when all is said and done.

3. Treatment May Be Multifaceted – As we’ve talked about on the blog in the past, chronic pain is often more than just a physical problem. There may be emotional, behavioral or psychological components to the physical manifestation of your pain. Treatment may need to involve more than just physical exercises, because other factors could be contributing to your issues. We’ll help diagnose those underlying factors and help you get the care you need.

4. It Will Get Better – We know better than to guarantee results, especially with a condition as complex as chronic pain, but we do believe that we can confidently say that if you put in the work, follow your doctor’s instructions and are patient, your pain condition will get better. You may not experience total pain relief, but we absolutely believe that we can help make your symptoms and pain more manageable. Trust us when we say that it will get better.

5. It’ll Be Worth It – Connecting with a physical therapist, putting in the work and being patient may seem like a tall task, but know that it will all be worth it in the end. You don’t deserve to live with daily pain, and you owe it to yourself to do what you can to take control over your pain condition. We promise you that the work you put in will be worth it, so while starting your journey to recovery may seem daunting, you’ll be better off because of it.

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

New Chronic Pain Care Guidelines Recommend Ditching Medication

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

painkillersThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently released some updated guidelines for how pain practitioners should help their patients deal with their chronic pain condition. The most notable suggestion is that NICE is advising doctors to avoid prescribing pain medication for a pain condition and instead believes they should recommend exercise or psychological therapy for the most effective treatment. For chronic pain sufferers who rely on pain medication as part of this treatment process, the news may cause anxiety and fear over whether or not they’ll have their access to these medications restricted.

We’re here to let you know that while these recommendations certainly have merit, no physician worth his salt is going to take medications away from someone who is using them responsibly and progressing in their rehab. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at the recommendations and explain how they’ll likely be implemented going forward.

Exercise Over Medication

If we just look at the headline and start to draw conclusions from there, it’s easy to get worked up over the latest recommendations. We’re here to help calm your fears and explain that although the recommendations are rooted in sound science, applying them unilaterally to a condition so unique as chronic pain is a terrible idea. Pain is unique to the individual, which is why there is no one-size-fits-all treatment for chronic pain. Even when two people are suffering from the same diagnosis, their treatment regimens may be different. That’s why we can’t just say that medications should never be used for effective pain care.

Nobody is saying that all you need to do to rid yourself of your chronic pain condition is to lace up your running shoes and go for a jog, but as we’ve talked about on the blog in the past, there is extensive research behind the idea that exercise and movement can be a key factor in helping fight back against a chronic pain condition. Exercise is an active solution that improves muscles, helps to control inflammation and works to stabilize joints that could be contributing to your pain issue. Medications, on the other hand, are a passive treatment that work to mask pain instead of treating the underlying issue. Medications alone will not cure your pain condition, but exercise and strength training or psychological therapy could.

With that said, painkillers and active treatment modalities can absolutely compliment one another, and this is when we’re all for prescribing medication to patients. If medication can make it easier for you to follow through on a physical therapy routine or to stick to your exercise program, then we’ll gladly walk you through a responsible painkiller management plan. We want to give patients all the tools they need to take control of their pain condition, and pain medications can certainly be part of that equation, so long as the patient is educated on their purpose and continues to prove that they can use the medication responsibly.

So in spite of the new recommendations, know that your pain physician will only recommend tapering off your medications if they aren’t actually promoting your recovery. If they aren’t doing any good and are putting you at a heightened risk for dependency or overdose, any good physician will adjust treatment to find a more effective method.

If you have been unable to find an effective solution for your pain, or you just want to talk to a physician who will take the time to get to know you and your diagnosis to provide the best level of care, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today.