Acute/ Chronic Pain Management
Is it an Acute or Chronic Injury? Do You Know The Difference?
The difference between acute pain and chronic pain is usually defined by duration of pain – acute pain lasts under 6 months and goes away after the injury is healed; chronic pain is reoccurring or long-lasting, usually after the injury has healed.
However, there is a connection between acute pain and chronic pain – acute pain that goes untreated may develop into chronic pain, and secondary areas of pain may arise from compensating for that pain.
It’s vitally important to treat acute instances of pain.
The cause may be a repetitive strain injury like carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, or bursitis, or sudden on-set from a car accident, motorcycle accident, or trip-and-fall injury.
Ensuring the proper diagnosis and treatment, while being supervised by a knowledgeable team of experts, will help acute instances of pain stay acute while preventing further development of chronic pain before it starts.
A Diverse Approach
Treating and managing acute pain varies case-by-case, and patients will receive individualized treatment programs to care for their symptoms and the root causes behind them.
These treatments may include one or several therapies, depending on the extent of injury and the patients’goals.
Common acute pain management strategies include: chiropractic adjustments, spinal decompression, manual therapy, therapeutic exercise as tolerated, postural training. Core1 believes we should keep moving as tolerated and avoid any unnecessary rest with acute injuries. When it comes to acute injury we want to do MCE: Mobility, Compression, and Elevation of injury vice the old acronym RICE.
These services can help treat acute pain speeding up recovery and minimizing long-term chronic pain issues.
Stand Up to Chronic Pain
Chronic pain can feel like the most hopeless type of pain – marked by long-term or reoccurring pain of varying intensities and symptoms, usually lasting more than 12-weeks at a time.
Dr. Josh and his team provide chronic pain patients with customized treatment recommendations, depending on symptoms and causes.
Chronic pain can arise from improper healing of acute injuries, compensational posturing from existing pain, normal aging on the body, and degenerative genetic conditions.
These factors may result in similar symptoms, but diagnosing the root cause is critical to understanding how to treat and prevent further injury.
Opting Out of the “Injury Loop”
Properly diagnosing and treating acute pain can spare you from a life of reoccurring chronic pain, so if you’re having symptoms of pain, schedule an assessment and let us help you make the right choice.
Acting early can save you from facing hard decisions about surgery and prescription medication that may affect you for the rest of your life.
Inadequate pain management results in negative physical and emotional setbacks and can even lead to depression when the pain becomes chronic in nature.
Untreated or undertreated injuries are detrimental to healing and can cause negative effects on the entire body including the musculoskeletal, neurological, and digestive systems.
Re-occurring levels of high pain can create complications throughout the body, including decreased mobility, lessened participation in physical activities and abilities, and negative effects on the psychological state of the patient and their close friends and family – often resulting in depression driven by the reduction in quality of life and anxiety regarding future and current pain levels.
This cycle can be avoided by treating acute pain as it arises, and Core 1 Chiropractic will help you reduce and eliminate pain throughout the entire body.
The Path to a Happier, Healthier You
If you’re tired of feeling alone, or sick of feeling like a burden, and are considering surgery because of it – please let us give you more options.
You are not alone, you are not a burden, and we are well equipped to help you.
Turn to us before you turn to the knife, and we will guide you through a personalized program full of non-surgical, non-invasive options.
We want to help you lower your pain level while you regain your strength.
We want to give you the knowledge and understanding about your body that you need to keep making strides towards a better future.
We understand the feeling of elation when a goal is achieved, after seeing someone come in at their lowest – and we’re there with you.
Through the pain, through the celebration, we are together as a team.
You are not alone.