There are different types and origins of pain. For best outcome and success, physicians try to work together with their patient to understand the person’s pain and what the expectations are in terms of pain management. Pain is real and can inhibit one’s quality of life, so it is important that a person’s pain is addressed, an acceptable pain goal is set and hopefully achieved.
- Pain can be chronic, acute, or acute on chronic pain
- Pain is often measured 1-10, 10 being the worst pain. Often referred to as mild (1-3), moderate (4-6), and severe (7-10)
- There are many options for pain management – some targeted for short-acting and some for long-acting.
- A short-acting prescription of opioid narcotics is typically written for under 7 days and is rarely habit-forming nor leads to addiction.
- Sometimes opioids are the best medication of choice. Additionally, there are many non-opioid medication options that can be prescribed as alternative or simultaneously.
- Patients can discuss with their provider if they do not wish to receive any narcotics or opioids for the management of their medical or surgical pain. Certainly, they can change their mind, but they can talk to their provider and seek alternative non-opioid pain management options.
- Many physicians and patients are also incorporating alternative medicine for pain management such as Reiki energy healing, focused meditation, guided imagery, etc.
- Additional comfort measure approaches:
- repositioning
- warm or cold compress
- relaxation techniques (i.e. deep breathing, praying)
- therapeutic massage (i.e. back rub)
- diversional techniques (i.e. television viewing, music, reading)
- spiritual counseling
- mild exercise or walking
- Additional comfort measure approaches:
- Depending on the nature and cause of the pain, the patient and physician may agree that it is unreasonable to expect 0/10 pain, and that mild or moderate pain is acceptable so long as one can perform activities of daily living.
- People do not set out to become addicted to opioids. More often than not it may occur after sports or traumatic injuries or a particular surgery where the pain recovery is long.
- In recent years, the medical community is more attuned to the duration of an individual’s pain and providing short-acting and long-acting medications; or the combination of an opioid medication with a non-opioid medication (For example, oxycodone taken when needed with scheduled Tylenol every 6 or 8 hours)
- Many physicians and patients are also incorporating alternative medicine for pain management such as Reiki energy healing, focused meditation, guided imagery, etc.
