Fibromyalgia affects roughly 2% of the adult population in the United States, or 4 million people. While the exact cause of fibromyalgia is not yet clear, we do know that it can be a very painful, debilitating condition. Although this condition causes many distressing symptoms, there are effective treatments for fibromyalgia. What is Fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia …
According to this study on non-elite athletes, 56% of participants reported sustaining a sports or exercise-related injury. For many, this puts into perspective the shocking prevalence of sports-related injuries even for individuals who are not working at top performance levels. This same study cited the fact that individuals were more likely to seek help from …
As an injury, repetitive strains are common among a large majority of professions and athletic fields. For individuals who are employed at a desk job, poor posture, phone use, and excessive typing can contribute to wrist pain and carpal tunnel. Similarly, store clerks, dentists, and musicians all have similar challenges due to work-related strains. While …
Repetitive Strain Injury Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Read More »
The Trade Between Alternative Methods and Medication Unlike acute pain, chronic pain has a lasting impact on individuals for 3 months or more. This results in a host of challenges, reduced quality of life, and high correlation with elevated healthcare costs. As such, the medical community has dedicated time and resources into determining the most …
Types of Therapists for Chronic Pain Management Individuals suffering with chronic pain each have an individual path to managing their daily challenges. Over time, this path develops to meet present needs and, at some point, will often include working with the physical body to increase ease of mobility. For this, there are two types of …
What Makes Occupational Therapy Unique You have chronic pain that impacts your daily life. While you may be on pain medications, for many individuals, that simply isn’t enough to fully regain their quality of life. Enter the occupational therapist. An OTs work is so much more than just managing the symptoms of pain. Unlike other …
Ancient Chinese Treatments for Modern-Day Pain Pain medications, prescription or otherwise, are effective at relieving pain. Unfortunately, this relief comes at a cost. For most pain medications, long-term use results in several consequences. Side effects, tolerance, dependency, and even addiction all become risks when medications alone are used to mask chronic pain. For this reason, …
According to the CDC, just over 20% of Americans suffer with some form of chronic pain. This contributes to nationally inflated health care costs in addition to decreased productivity and quality of life. As such, finding ways to alleviate or manage pain for those who suffer is integral for mental, physical, and workplace health. While …
For a number of years, prescribing opioids to individuals suffering with chronic pain was the gold standard of pain management. As time wore on however, it became apparent in the medical community that these drugs were creating a dependency in patients, opening Pandora’s box on the lasting impact of opioid addiction on patient lives. To …
Opioids and the Long Term use of Pain Medications Read More »
Over the last two decades, the rise of opioid prescriptions as a treatment for chronic pain have risen exponentially. Initially found to be both safe and effective, the medical community later learned that these medications not only resulted in additional and lasting impairments, but were less effective at treating several types of pain than initially …
Non-Opioid Pain Treatment: Working Against the Opioid Crisis Read More »
