National Pain Week
By Cameron Allshorn
6.9 Million Australians are currently living with musculoskeletal pain. That is a big number, and Osteopaths around the country are joining in the battle to fight chronic pain, particularly those linked to musculoskeletal origins.
This week is National Pain Week that aims to focus a discussion around chronic, silent pain that affects many Australians both physically and mentally.
Chronic pain can take many forms and is different in each case. A condition is deemed chronic if it has been present for longer than 12 weeks (3 months) however many Australians are currently living with conditions that have been present for many years. Chronic pain is not particularly picky and can be found at just about any part of the body. Chronic pain can range form dull persistent pain to intense severe pain and everything in between.
Some of the common chronic pain presentations that Osteopaths often see are chronic headache/migraines, lower back pain, rotator cuff/shoulder tendonitis/opathies, osteoarthritis of Knees/hips/hands and many others.
Chronic pain is often as isolating mentally as it is debilitating physically.The impact of chronic pain is far reaching beyond the pain itself and can relate to the ability to support a family, complete tasks or enjoy hobbies (sports, hiking, travel). This impact is a factor to why 33% of Australians suffering chronic pain will develop mental health issues including but not limited to depression and anxiety. The mental strain of chronic pain can take many forms such as behavioural changes, loss of motivation, break down of relationships, isolation and withdrawal.
The first step to managing chronic conditions is starting the management process. Developing a team around you that can help and advise you on the recovery process. As an Osteopath we can help via our hands on treatment that aims to decrease pain and improve musculoskeletal function, in addition to this we can provide information and guidance as to what is the best management for you. This may include exercise recommendations, dietary suggestions and other lifestyle factors that can assist you in managing your chronic pain, in some cases we may need to refer on to other professionals to assist in supporting you managing your condition.
If you are or know someone suffering from chronic pain, please get into contact with a health professional and know that the team at Rockhopper are always there to help you manage your way to feeling better.
Thanks for reading,
Cameron Allshorn
Osteopath
Here are some helpful links regarding Chronic Pain + National Pain Week.
http://www.nationalpainweek.org.au/