434.328.2774 purveza@painspinecenters.com
The air is getting colder and you can tell by the looks of it that fall is already here. Should you camp indoors? Should you stop your fitness routine because it’s fall? Exercising outside doesn’t have to stop when the first leaf falls! In fact, fall is a great time to get a new exercise routine. With the crisp air, crunchy leaves and rich colors of nature starting to show up, shouldn’t it be the best time to get fit outside?
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Chronic pain has the potential to affect every aspect of your life, from your daily routines to your ability to perform job-related tasks without distracting discomfort. No wonder an estimated 100 million or so chronic pain sufferers in the United States are constantly looking for any possible option that could result in relief. With such a large amount of information out there, it is important that those suffering focus and rely on evidence-based medicine. Continue reading →
The opioid epidemic has become a major concern across the nation and rightly so. It shows no signs of letting up and is resulting in thousands of deaths each year. Many people have become addicted and prone to serious risks to drugs that they may have started taking innocently for pain due to injury, disease or surgery.
Experts are now recommending that physicians in clinics and hospitals work to find other options for pain control rather than constantly turning to medications including high-risk opioids for every diagnosis.
Here are just a few options available to a variety of patients that can often decrease pain and help them experience a better quality of life without the need for more addictive drugs. Continue reading →
Winter makes it difficult to exercise for people used to going outdoors. You may prefer to walk around the neighborhood or do yoga in the middle of nature, but when winter comes, you stay indoors for weeks at a time. There are plenty of ways to exercise and remain fit all while remaining indoors this winter.
Pain has emotional, physical, and mental aspects to it. The extent to which a person feels pain is based in part on behavioral and cognitive processes. When discussing pain management, you need to consider a number of factors, including the role that sleep plays in helping your body manage pain.
Evidence suggests that there are links between depression, sleep, and pain. A change in one of these three will impact the other two. If you are dealing with chronic pain, you know that pain can prevent you from sleeping well. You also know that pain can affect your emotional state, making you feel depressed. But what some people may not understand is that the reverse is also true. Not getting enough sleep can increase your pain level.
The Substance Abuse Disorder (SUD), including the use of opioid medications, in America is worsening more than ever and claiming thousands of lives every year.
Chronic pain patients are sometimes prescribed opioid medications. These block pain receptors in the nervous system, while also flooding the body with endorphins, which are most often known as the feel-good hormones. Partly because of this feeling, the patients may continue these medications and get addicted to them. This creates a vicious cycle of addiction and increased use of opioid medications. Added to this combination may be other medications and substances like sleeping pills and alcohol that may result in serious consequences, including death.
Chronic pain is a serious matter. It causes depression, misery and damage to personal relationships. It can affect your education and goals. Chronic pain, if severe enough, can make it impossible for you to continue with your work. It robs you of sleep. If you have severe arthritis, for example, it might be that you can’t even open a bottle cap or climb a few stairs. Your joints ache all over. No matter the condition causing the pain, it can get to the point where it seems like there is nothing else in your life but pain. If this has happened to you, you need to know that help is available. A pain management specialist can help you reduce or eliminate your pain and get your life back.
Were you recently involved in a work-related accident? Did you sustain serious injuries? Maybe you were involved in a incident many years ago and are plagued by chronic pain or mobility issues. Perhaps a seemingly minor job-related dust-up ended up resulting in life-altering disability and changing the course of your life forever. If so, here are some suggestions and advice that you may find helpful.
The overwhelming opioid epidemic has understandably sounded alarms within the medical community and garnered attention on a nationwide level. In fact, the FDA and other government agencies are stepping in to take action in an effort to combat the situation that has developed in relation to opioid abuse and consequent deaths. Is there anything you can do as a patient to help fight this epidemic to save lives?
It is hard to live with pain. Whether the pain is acute after an injury, or has become chronic, it can be challenging for patients to manage– and seek help. If the treating provider appears indifferent, that makes it even harder. Patients want to know that their physician is paying attention. A physician who appears aloof would have difficulty connecting with their patient and may miss the clues and the information that is required.