Watch this short video to learn how to take back control and manage your pain more effectively.
Video credit: The American Chronic Pain Association
It can be tempting to think that medication can take away all your pain. And that if only you could find the ‘right’ medicine or see the ‘right’ doctor then your pain would disappear. Unfortunately, this is not the case with long-term persistent pain. At most, medication for pain relief reduces your symptoms by 30-50% and helps you to function, but it cannot cure you. Nor will the same medication work well for you indefinitely.
We now know that we can manage our pain more effectively by using a combination of therapies and medication.
It helps to think of yourself as being like a car with four flat tyres. Medication will only put air into one of your tyres – the other 3 will still be flat.
Everyone is different. It is important to work with your healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physios, etc) to agree which areas you would benefit most from working on.
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Persistent pain is difficult to understand and manage on a daily basis. Pete Moore, a persistent pain sufferer himself, co-authored the Pain Toolkit. The toolkit provides you with tips, skills and information that will support you in managing your pain.
It is not meant to be the last word in pain self-management. Instead it is a handy guide to help you get started. All you need to be is willing to read it and take on board some of the suggestions.
Chronic pain affects almost one in four people across Northern Ireland. Local Health and Social Care Board figures estimate that 400,000 people are living with some form of persistent pain.