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Author: John Hamerly, M.D.
Clinic: White Bear Clinic

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     As we move into this century, our ability to better manage complex medical problems is expanding at a rapid pace. Pain is becoming better understood and the management tools in health care are being applied in a focused effort to relieve pain and unnecessary suffering. Albert Schweitzer, in 1931, summarized pain this way, "We must all die, but that I can save him from days of torture, that is what I feel is my greater than ever new privilege. Pain is a more terrible lord of mankind than even death itself." Alleviating chronic pain is part of the focus of care within Family HealthServices Minnesota.

 

     There are many different types of pain that our body perceives. This includes somatic pain generated from the nerve endings in the skin. Visceral pain comes from the organs and is responsible for the pain of ulcers, appendicitis, and constipation. Neuropathic pain is nerve pain associated with damage to the nervous system at some level, and includes diabetic neuropathy, post-chemotherapy pain, post-shingles pain, and other abnormal nerve responses to disease and stress conditions. The source of pain determines whether pharmacologic (medicinal) or nonpharmacologic pain strategies will need to be utilized. Nearly 90% of patients presenting to our clinics have some type of acute or chronic pain, and finding the source of it is the start to alleviating or controlling the problem. Many common pain conditions and syndromes, including migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, chronic low back pain, osteoarthritis, and neuropathic pain processes, require multiple medication trials to find an effective combination that controls pain symptoms. Some treatments have side effects that limit our ability to maximize the medical management.

 

      Before seeing your physician for chronic pain, be prepared to answer the following questions: where is the pain, what makes it worse, what makes it better, when does it occur (i.e. daytime vs. nighttime), with what is the pain associated (work, specific activities), what you have tried for pain management (medicinal and non-medicinal treatments), and finally, how does the pain impact your daily activities.

 

      Pain is a warning sign that needs to be addressed for many health problems, but it can be made worse by fear and stress. If your pain is worsening or not seeming to be improved, please inform your physician. Untreated pain may lead to further medical complications or worsen from fear of the unknown.

 

 We strive to treat pain appropriately and effectively, and welcome the opportunity to assist you in the diagnosis and subsequent management of your pain.