If you are living with chronic pain, you know these symptoms affect every aspect of your life. It’s hard to get through seemingly simple tasks at home or work when the pain limits your mobility and function.
There are many components and dynamics of pain that come up. In fact, patients often find that their symptoms change depending on physical activities, different fitness levels, and the type of activity.
Six Areas of Life Affected by Pain
Research shows that pain is not only uncomfortable and inconvenient, but it also interferes with six main categories of living:
- Physical Functioning: Some of life’s most basic tasks can become challenging when a person is experiencing pain. For example, back pain can make it difficult to stand over the sink and wash the dishes.
- Professional Life: Career activities are often affected by chronic pain. These symptoms can make it hard to get to work on time in the morning and take a toll on a person’s performance throughout the day.
- Relationships and Family Life: When pain is a major theme in a person’s life, it changes how they interact with their friends and family. Maintaining relationships can be more difficult, especially when pain symptoms limit a person’s activities.
- Social Life: When the pain is flaring, most patients aren’t in the mood to be social. Therefore, chronic or acute pain conditions can take a toll on a person’s social interactions.
- Sleep and Wellness: Chronic pain can impact sleep quality, resulting in a domino effect that impacts many other aspects of health and wellness. If you want to have thriving health, then good sleep is essential. Unfortunately, pain can make it difficult to sleep at night.
- Overall Mood and Attitude: Finally, it’s no surprise that pain can take a toll on a person’s mood. If you feel like you are “gritting your teeth” through the pain all the time, it can be hard to have a smile on your face.
All of these factors add up and have a negative impact on the overall quality of life. Over time, the pain can make it challenging to function in basic roles at home and work. Some patients feel like their abilities and options are limited because the pain hinders their actions and function.
When patients understand how much the pain affects their quality of life, they are more motivated to take the steps necessary to alleviate the pain.
Financial Impact of Chronic Pain
One factor that must be considered when it comes to chronic pain is the financial burden these symptoms place on the patient and their family members. In addition to an increased need for medical services, many patients spend money on other alternative treatments and products to alleviate the pain.
Plus, ongoing pain takes an undeniable toll on productivity. It’s estimated that 4 billion workdays are lost each year in the United States because employees are unable to work because of the pain. Not only do patients miss out on pay, but the business also suffers when a person is unable to work.
Add up the costs, and it’s shocking to realize how much pain costs individuals and businesses.
Pain: A Growing Healthcare Crisis
Look at the data: it’s clear that pain management is a growing healthcare crisis in the United States. Almost half of the adults in the United States visit a doctor at least once a year because of pain. As a result, pain is the most common reason for medical consultations.
Additionally, many other people choose to skip a doctor’s consultation because they don’t believe that effective treatments are available for pain management.
In reality, many patients talk to their primary care physicians and receive subpar results. These general practitioners don’t have a lot of experience with pain management specifically. So, the most common approach is to prescribe pain medications or refer a patient to a specialist.
When patients lack confidence in available services and treatments from a general physician, it reduces the likelihood that they will schedule an appointment.
The good news is that more options are becoming available. Advancements in the healthcare industry bring modern solutions to patients living with both chronic and acute pain. The best way to access these services is by visiting a pain management clinic.
Is Pain Affecting Your Quality of Life?
If you are living in pain, it’s time to take an assessment to see the overall impact on your quality of life. Is the pain limiting you from certain activities and responsibilities? Then it’s time to find a solution to alleviate the pain so you can live your best life possible.
Not only does pain affect your ability to function at work and home, but this pain makes it hard to participate in the activities that you love. How much are you missing out on your favorite hobbies and social gatherings because you don’t want to leave the house when you are in a lot of pain?
It’s important that you see how pain affects your life to find the motivation to make a change. There’s no reason you should continue to suffer through the pain, especially when treatments are available that can help you return to a thriving way of life.
Hope Is Available for Chronic Pain Treatments
When it comes to acute pain, patients often feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Finding hope is easier when you know that the pain will subside after healing from an injury or surgery.
On the other hand, it can feel hopeless if you are living with chronic pain. When the pain never seems to go away, it can be hard to have a positive outlook for the future.
Pain management varies depending on the type of pain a patient experiences and the amount of time the person has experienced the symptoms. The treatment approach is different for acute pain management, which lasts for a few weeks during recovery, vs. chronic pain, which requires ongoing management and treatment.
If you are like many other patients living with chronic pain, then it’s likely that you are feeling hopeless about finding relief. It’s hard to believe you can stop the pain when you’ve already tried different treatments.
Rest assured knowing that other options are available. If you’ve been visiting with a general practitioner, then consider going to a specialist instead. A pain management clinic offers alternative remedies that can help alleviate the symptoms and minimize pain in the future.
Pain Management: Schedule a Consultation for Personalized Treatment
There’s no reason why you should continue living in pain. If you are suffering from acute or chronic pain, it’s time to reach out to the experts for help.
Our clinic provides alternative treatments and comprehensive pain management services. For more information, talk to us at Kentuckiana Pain Specialists. We offer an office located in Louisville, Kentucky, for your convenience. Call our office at: (502) 995-4004.