It’s natural to feel some level of pain throughout life. It could be anything, from a headache to a dull ache in the back or a stubbed toe. These pains often go away on their own, after a short period. However, sometimes pain doesn’t heal naturally or by taking over-the-counter painkillers.

If this happens, you’re probably dealing with chronic pain, which is typically defined as pain that lasts for over three months. Many people assume persistent pain can stop after some time and hold for so long before seeking treatment. That’s because they don’t know when it’s time to consult a pain specialist.

In this article, we’ll discuss five signs you may need to consult a pain management doctor.

1. Pain Is Recurring

Maybe you’re struggling with neck and lower back pain, arm, or leg pain. The discomfort or aching might be mild in the beginning. Over time, pain might become severe or persistent, meaning it’s there every day.

Is this something you can relate to? If yes, it could be time you see a pain management specialist. One reason to seek specialized pain treatment is to prevent pain symptoms from worsening.

Symptoms linked to pain (like tingling, stiffness, soreness, or burning) are easy to ignore thinking they’ll decrease in time. However, it is these symptoms you don’t want to ignore because they signify a serious condition that requires medical intervention.

Consulting a pain specialist helps you identify the source of pain and what’s causing it. Next, they can provide effective treatment to lessen the pain.

2. Pain Affects the Quality of Your Life

Pain reduces the quality of life, as it forces you to adjust your life around discomfort or irritation. You’ll likely give up on some activities you enjoyed before the pain. Something like reaching the top shelf of the cabinet aggravates the pain.

You may even have trouble sleeping. Not sleeping well for a few hours can take a toll on your health. Poor sleep could result in health conditions like high blood pressure, depression, obesity, and anxiety, which worsen pain.

Working with a specialist can help manage pain effectively, according to Dr. Brandon Claflin of Oklahoma. Pain specialists have experience in creating customized and comprehensive treatment plans. What a customized pain management plan does is address the physical, psychological, and emotional aspects of pain. Hopefully, pain decreases, allowing patients to regain control over their lives.

3. The Pain Is Spreading

Has the pain you’ve been experiencing radiated or spread to other parts of the body?

For example, say you have been feeling pain in your knee. Then, the pain spreads upward to the hip or down to your lower leg and starts radiating. That could be a sign the possible injury is getting worse. We can’t focus on radiating pain alone — other signs like tingling and numbness could suggest a serious condition.

Also, what might feel like shoulder pain spreading down the arm could actually be a pinched nerve in the back. Consider having your health assessed and a treatment plan developed for your specific pain to ease the discomfort.

4. You Become Dependent on Pain Medication

True, different pain medicines work to bring relief. The downside is they don’t typically address the root cause of pain, and people take medicine often to get through the day.

Unfortunately, long-term use of pain medication can cause more damage. For example, the extended use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may cause blood clots and high blood pressure. Depending on opioids, like morphine for pain relief, can lead to addiction and side effects like slow heart rate.

That said, talk to a pain doctor when taking medicine to ease pain. A physician can help you potentially reduce dependence on medication by providing pain relief techniques that don’t rely on harmful drugs. They might recommend physical therapy, lifestyle changes, and non-invasive treatment like epidural steroid injection and radiofrequency ablation to promote pain-free living.

5. Pain Increases With Motion

Some movements make the pain worse: Aches might increase when engaging in certain activities. When this happens, talk to a doctor who specializes in pain management. Many factors can trigger pain when you move, like an injury to the muscle or underlying conditions such as arthritis and fibromyalgia.

With advanced pain management treatments, a pain expert can know the location of the pain by conducting a thorough physical exam. They can perform additional tests like urine and blood tests, CT scans, X-ray, and MRI to understand what’s causing the pain in your body.

Conclusion

When pain becomes persistent, stops you from working or doing the things you love, or increases with movement, it could be time to seek specialized pain management treatment. If pain creates a dependency on medicine or the pain spreads, working with a pain specialist can help.

With the help of a pain doctor, people can find the location of pain and its cause. You and your physician can also work together to personalize a treatment plan that addresses your unique health needs.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553030/

https://www.drugwatch.com/health/chronic-pain/

https://www.jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3924(02)00411-6/fulltext#:~:text=Pain%2C%20when%20it%20is%20not,which%20it%20has%20been%20studied.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-does-pain-medicine-work#opioids