Chronic Conditions
Chronic Pain 
What is chronic pain?
Chronic pain is categorised as a type of pain that prolongs over three months or longer, interfering with your day-to-day activities. Unfortunately, the pain can be so debilitating that feelings of depression and anxiety occur.
What are the signs of chronic pain?
Chronic pain can be described as a sharp, shooting pain radiating from a particular body region.
This type of pain can be:
- A throbbing pain
- Stiffening pain
- Restricting pain
Chronic pain can occur in various forms, such as the following:
- Joint pain or arthritis
- Lower back pain
- Neck pain
- Pain in close proximity to a tumour
- Migraine pain
- Pain in the testicles (orchialgia)/chronic testicular pain
- Prolonged pain within scar tissue.
- Muscular pain from a condition known as
- Nerve-related pain due to damage to portions of the nervous system.
How do you diagnose chronic pain?
Chronic pain is pain that lasts several weeks or recurs and subsides after some time. Pain is the primary symptom of a debilitating chronic condition, which is why Dr Thomas needs to determine the root cause of the pain through the following diagnostic studies:
- Standard blood tests.
- X-rays
- MRI scan
- Nerve conduction study.
- Tests to assess balance and reflexes.
- Urine sampling.
How do you treat chronic pain?
First, Dr Thomas needs to investigate the underlying reason for chronic pain. For example, treatment depends on the following:
- The cause of the pain, when determined by diagnostic studies.
- The patient’s age and overall health status.
These are the allopathic medications that your doctor can prescribe to relieve chronic pain, depending on the cause, such as the following:
- Anticonvulsant medications to alleviate nerve-related pain.
- Tricyclic antidepressants.
- Corticosteroids.
- Muscle relaxants.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories.
- Pain relievers that can be administered topically (in cream form).
- Sedatives that assist with insomnia and anxiety.
Alternative treatment methods include the following:
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, also known as TENS, is a procedure which administers tiny shockwaves through patches over the skin.
- Nerve blocks are a type of anaesthetic administered via injection near the pain site.
- Epidurals are medications with anti-inflammatory properties that are administered through a space near the spinal nerves.
Dr Thomas needs to thoroughly assess the patient’s condition to determine the cause of the condition and the approach would be to first do no harm and start with a natural approach.
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