Pain that lasts for more than 12 weeks is commonly defined as chronic pain. Chronic pain can have real effects on your day-to-day life and your mental health. But you and your doctor can work together to treat chronic causes.
Dr. Shahzad Anwar is an interventional pain medicine specialist in Lahore. In his interview with oladoc, he discusses an important issue of chronic pain. In doing so, he identifies a number of causes that lead to this problem and discuss the best treatment available for this. These range from diagnosis, medication to minimally invasive procedures in the most extreme of cases.
Q.1. What is the cause of chronic pain?
Well, chronic pain occurs when you can’t really pinpoint the underlying cause of the pain. The most common example of chronic pain is back pain. I would like to say that any kind of chronic pain has many factors leading up to it. These factors may be due to the structure or function of the back pain, emotional or psychological, and thirdly, social support or pressures.
Q.2. Can you die from chronic pain?
Unfortunately, there are some patients who are in such an extreme amount of pain that they inquire if they are going to die from the intense pain. The answer to that question is this: You don’t die from chronic pain but at the same, it affects your quality of life.
However, I would like to give a word of caution to viewers to never ignore your pain and get it examined by a general physician or a pain specialist.
Chronic Pain Causes: Q And A With Dr. Shahzad Anwar
Q.3. Can chronic pain go away?
Modern lifestyle is one of the biggest reasons why chronic pain becomes difficult to treat. Using smartphones adversely impacts the spinal curvature and overloads it. Using gadgets can overload the muscles that cause spasms and spasms to lead to pain.
I would suggest visiting a physiotherapist recommended exercises and treat your chronic pain accordingly.
Q.4. What are the causes of neck and back pain in young people?
The biggest reason for back pain among people is obesity or being overweight. With a sedentary lifestyle, muscles are overloaded and become strained. The straining of muscles then causes the nerves to be damaged that causes chronic pain in one form or the other.
Q.5. What is the treatment for chronic pain?
Well, unfortunately, the treatment for chronic pain is not easy. Whether its neck pain, back pain or knee pain, it has to be properly diagnosed and treated. X-rays, radiographs are done and then the cause of the pain is properly identified. The first level of treatment is medicine and bed rest. If the pain still persists, then we increase the quantity of medicine and introduce narcotic analgesics.
However, I believe the best course of treatment is to consult a properly trained pain physician. Such physicians are trained to treat chronic pain through minimally invasive techniques. These minimally invasive procedures and surgeries are vastly different.
Surgery indications are, however, quite limited and are recommended as the last resort treatment.
If you want to learn more about chronic pain causes and its treatment, watch the full video. You can also book an appointment with a top pain management specialist through oladoc.com, or call our helpline at 042-3890-0939 for assistance to find the RIGHT professional for your concerns.
