Let’s face it: there’s nothing fun about being in pain. In fact, chronic pain can be downright debilitating, halting many of the day-to-day activities that you may undertake with regularity. Consider a few not-so-fun facts about pain that can help you to better manage pain-related health issues.
- It can be a stressor on your emotions as well as your physical person: That’s right, it can make you feel as crummy on the inside as it does on the out. The circle is a viscous one, as the resulting negative emotions can then contribute to your ability to deal with the physical manifestation of pain. In fact, roughly 77 percent of people with chronic discomfort report feeling depressed.
- Women experience pain more often in the course of a lifetime than men do: This could be due to issues with menstruation and childbirth, but whatever the reason, women certainly experience more than men. In fact, in animal studies, it has been shown that females require more pain medication than men – at twice the rate, actually, to get the same level of relief as men do from the medication. The jury is still out, however, on who has the higher tolerance.
- No brain pain: The brain might send the signal for pain to the rest of the body; however, the brain itself doesn’t feel any. In fact, once a surgeon has gotten to this all-too important organ, he can operate without any anesthetic whatsoever.
- Back pain is the most common: More often than not, when you ask people where they are experiencing chronic pain, the back is going to be the most commonly given answer. This could be because people don’t stretch enough; it could also be due to consistent reaching, bending and other body motions people do every day that put a strain on the back.
The good news is that chronic pain doesn’t have to remain unmanageable. There are a number of things you can do to ease chronic pain, including exercise, stretching, medication and more. Getting in to see a pain professional is the first step, so you can determine the cause of the pain and a treatment plan to address the root of the problem. Once this happens, then you can address the pain management aspect of the ailment and begin to feel whole again.