Pain management

Understanding pain

• Pain can be classified as either acute or chronic.
• Pain experienced straight after an injury is called acute pain, and is defined as pain lasting up to three months.
• Chronic pain is persistent pain that lasts for more than three months or past the time of tissue healing.
• Persistent pain can affect attendance at work or education and participation in daily activities.
• Persistent pain is also a leading cause of depression, poor mental health and wellbeing.

Pain management plan

A pain management plan includes pain education and advice to help and support you on how to manage your pain.

Understanding your pain is an important part of your management plan and your osteopath will take the time to educate you on what pain is and isn’t. Did you know that understanding your pain can reduce the sensation of pain, improve function, enhance movement and decrease your use of healthcare services? (Louw et al 2016)

As part of this plan, your osteopath will give you advice on the steps that may help to relieve your pain. First, this will involve asking you what strategies and treatments you have used in the past for pain relief and whether these strategies helped or not. Your osteo may then:

• Provide information on how to move or position your body to relieve or avoid pain.
• Suggest activities for when your pain gets worse. This can include diversion (distraction activities) or exercises to strengthen or train parts of the body to carry out daily activities.
• Recommend manual therapies for pain relief.

Reference: Louw, A., Zimney, K., Puentedura, E. J., & Diener, I. (2016). The efficacy of pain neuroscience education on musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review of the literature. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 32(5), 332-355.