Chronic Pain
Chronic Pain v. Acute Pain
Chronic pain, by definition, is pain that is present for longer than three months, which is generally accepted as the expected timeline. However, more commonly, the pain has been present for several months or even years. Chronic pain exists in approximately 20% of the adult population and it is common for patients to seek pain relief from sometimes many healthcare practitioners.
Acute pain is short term, sometimes intense or sharp, and often the result of an injury, or illness that will resolve over a period of time, usually less than 6 months. Treatment resolves the pain when the underlying issue is treated properly.
Whether pain is acute or chronic- pain is a symptom, or an effect of something wrong. Acute pain can be effectively treated with ice, rest, and the pain treatment therapies described below. There are two ways to approach chronic pain. One is to treat the symptoms (temporarily cover it) and the other is an integrative medicine approach, i.e., to identify and treat the root cause (fix it).
Pain is the #1 reason people go to the doctor, and unresolved pain is one of the top reasons patients seek out an integrative medicine doctor.
Treating the Source of Pain
Acute physical pain is often relieved with a visit to a physician or chiropractor, who can assess the source of pain and correct it.
Chronic pain requires more investigation into the source of pain. For effective resolution of pain, treatment should be directed at fixing the root cause. When the root cause of pain is properly addressed, the symptoms often disappear. The symptoms may appear as muscle/joint pain, fatigue, fibromyalgia, arthritis, chronic depression, headache or other dysfunction- but the actual problem may be infection, viruses, poor nutrition, a structural or dental issue, toxicity, or unresolved emotional distress. If you are experiencing chronic, unresolved pain, please consider a more holistic, functional medicine approach to assess the cause of your pain. Using advanced lab testing and thorough history and analysis will help pinpoint the source of chronic pain so that it can be corrected.
Our practitioners look at the whole body to locate the cause of pain. Pain may be local, but can often be referred; that is, your knee pain may be a symptom of something else going on in your body, like a back problem or a chronic dental infection. The elbow may hurt but the source of the pain may be elsewhere, like your neck.
Options for Acute Pain Relief
Chiropractic Care
- Chiropractic Therapies Dr. Coy Roskosky, a doctor of Chiropractic, uses “state of the art” chiropractic techniques. Trained in California, “Dr. Coy” provides pain relief with advanced years of training and expertise in spinal adjustment, spinal and postural screenings, acupuncture, NET therapy, at-home corrective exercises, custom orthotics and more. These newer methods are more comfortable and more effective than ever before in relieving neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, hip pain, foot pain, carpal tunnel, and more.
Acupuncture
- Acupuncture Cupping, and Chinese Medicine with Herbal Remedies. Acupuncture is a centuries old method of encouraging the body to promote natural healing and improve function. Insertion of tiny needles can promote circulation to the affected area. Dr. Peter Jun Wu, a highly skilled acupuncturist in Washington, D.C., blends acupuncture, cupping, Traditional Chinese medicine and herbals to remove blockages and encourage health. In addition to pain, acupuncture can be used for infertility, smoking cessation, addiction, respiratory problems, nausea relief during chemotherapy, fatigue, depression, vertigo etc.
Massage
Massage Massage relieves joint and muscle pain and is a relaxing experience for most people. Agnes Hale, our highly experienced massage therapist, tailors treatment to your needs, whether it is for seniors, children, pregnancy, oncology massage, deep tissue, Swedish, lymphatic drainage or other requirements. The benefits of massage include increased blood flow, decreased pain and swelling, increased energy and range of motion, relaxation of tissues and improved mood.
Nutrition and Lifestyle
- Lifestyle and Nutritional Modification Integrative medicine practitioners believe that the body is usually self-healing; the doctor merely helps remove the blocks and enhances the process. This is the miracle of healing.
Patients who have struggled with chronic pain are encouraged to schedule a visit and take a deep dive toward pain relief and optimal health.
Exclusive NIHA Chronic Pain Articles
Snowzilla Hits the D.C. Area, Thousands of Low Back Pain Casualties
After a big storm everybody has to go out into the cold and do hard labor. Shovelful after shovelful of wet, heavy snow is thrown onto a big pile so we can get to our cars, get the kids to school or even just open the front door. Unfortunately, shoveling snow is not a normal movement for us and can result in injuries we should not ignore, but many of us do. As soon as the pain hits, we start to get those loving reminders from our spouses to go have it looked at, but most of the time it falls on deaf ears. Some ibuprofen, Tylenol, heat and rest is what most people do. Then a week later you may be feeling OK. If it doesn’t go away most people continue to tolerate it until it resolves on its own or turns into something worse, and that can be a mistake.
Health Tips for the Fall Season from Chinese Medicine
Fall brings harvest time, the beauty of the changing leaves, and less daylight. In Chinese medicine, fall is associated with the element of metal and the lungs. It is a time to slow down, go to bed early, regroup and begin to move and think inward in preparation for...
Go Back to the Basics with Chiropractic Care
As a physical medicine doctor of 15 years I have seen a lot of patients that have presented with various levels of pain and musculoskeletal problems. Some as simple as low back pain as the result of shoveling snow, to as complicated as having Lyme disease/low thyroid/ chronic inflammation/ shoulder pain all layered on each other, never knowing what is the real cause of their physical pain. Somehow, in any of these cases, there needs to be a point where the basics of physical health are incorporated into daily living. Along with proper treatment, this will set the foundation for healing and get a patient back to a better state of health from when they first came in. In sports, when a team is doing poorly many times the coach will take the team back to drills they learned as a kid to reinforce the basics of the sport. This allows the team to return to “the basics” of being successful and winning games. The same thing has to happen when restoring the physical body to the way it is supposed to move and feel.