Pain is the most common reason for seeking medical care. It is also the most common reason why people choose our physical therapy practice for help. While the body’s musculoskeletal tissues may heal from an initial injury or degenerative change, pain may persist for months past the tissue healing process.
Nearly 50 million American adults have significant chronic pain or severe pain, according to a new study prepared by the National Institute of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). (1) Chronic pain is pain lasting for more than 6 months.
Everyone, when injured or in pain, wants to know four things:
- What is wrong?
- How long will it take to resolve or how long will it last?
- What can I do for it?
- And finally what can you (and the clinician working with you) do for it?
It is self-evident that patients who get appropriate answers will be more satisfied, feel less threatened and be able to cope better (Butler and Moseley, 2014). Chronic pain is the greatest burden in regards to health care cost to our society. In America, chronic pain costs more than diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer treatment combined.
The clinicians at NPPT vow to take an honest and active role in helping patients struggling with this tough problem through education and understanding, by answering all of the above mentioned questions and by helping the patient understand not only what they can do for their problem but to actually take the time and educate them about their pain and understand the biology behind their symptoms. The evidence over the last ten years about the right medical education in helping people with Chronic Pain is mounting.
For more information about Education models and Chronic Pain please click here.
