Posts made in November 2018

How to Manage Chronic Pain with a Healthy Diet

man chopping vegetablesEvery one of us has heard at some point that watching what we eat is important. We know that eating healthy reduces your risk of obesity, diabetes, strokes, heart disease, and much more. What you may not know, however, is that the way you eat can affect your chronic pain. Excess weight puts more pressure on your body, resulting in more pain, but it isn’t that simple. Even thin people who suffer from chronic pain can experience the negative impact of a poor diet.

Inflammation

Inflammation in the body is one of the biggest sources of chronic pain. If your diet is low in fruits and vegetables and high in sugar, fat, and salt, can exacerbate inflammation in the body. If you deal with joint or muscle pain, inflammation is bad news.

What Can You Do?

It can be challenging to cut unhealthy foods from your diet, but there are some small changes you can make. You don’t need to go on a strict diet, but adding fruits and vegetables and making other healthy swaps can go a long way towards managing your pain. It also helps to keep an eye on your sodium intake and drink lots of water.

If you are looking for a solution for your chronic pain, visit our pain management clinic in Jacksonville, FL. Our physicians are ready to provide you with a personalized, multi-faceted solution to your pain when you book your appointment today.

Visceral vs. Somatic Pain

doctorChronic pain comes in many forms, affecting different areas of the body and originating from various sources. One common type is nociceptive pain, which is detected by nociceptors – a specialized type of sensory nerve. Conditions that cause nociceptive pain include headaches, pelvic pain, arthritis, and fibromyalgia. Nociceptive pain can be further broken down into visceral and somatic pain. Let’s take a quick look at the differences between the two.

Visceral Pain

Visceral pain is picked up by nociceptors in your internal organs. The sensory nerves are not very widespread in your organs, which means you may feel pain further away from its origin, and it tends to be difficult to locate. Visceral pain can be caused by conditions like endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), cystitis, and prostate pain.

Somatic Pain

Somatic pain is signaled by nociceptors in your soft tissues, muscles, and skin. Sensory nerves are very well distributed in these areas, so it usually easy to detect the source. Tension headaches, pain from joint instability, arthritis, and back pain not caused by nerves are all examples of somatic pain.

Visit Florida Coast Pain for chronic pain treatment in Jacksonville, FL, to receive personalized, compassionate treatment from our skilled physicians.