Dooley Noted: 1/6/2015
One way to start an enormous debate in my field is to discuss pain.
From the patient perspective, one thing is true: if pain is present, the patient came to you to get rid of it.
I’ve been a patient, so I understand this notion.
But pain can be quite a proficient guide into a clinical picture.
The problem is that the pain is completely subjective. The doctor can’t feel what the patient feels.
Chronic pain can be a program run at the brain level to help you avoid what you perceive as an injurious pathway.
The injury may not still exist!
So, while I want you out of pain, you can change the perception of it.
Pain is quite a movement educator.
Don’t be so quick to shotgun it.
This is why I have a hard time promoting NSAIDs and cortisone injections.
What if the inflammation or pain is serving an educational, helpful purpose?
Learn how to get yourself out of discomfort.
Consider getting yourself assessed and corrected for faulty movement patterns that may present as painful.
Look holistically. See if diet, lifestyle, emotions, and stress exacerbate your pain perception.
If you only feel the pain at work, analyze your work environment.
Analyze you in that job.
If the pain happens when you walk, get your gait analyzed.
If the pain worsens when you’re seated, get that position analyzed and see if it carries over into the way you move.
Use pain as an educator and not something to be killed point blank.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley