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Pain is a complex protective mechanism that helps us to protect our bodies from danger and harm. The body’s pain receptors are attached to two main types of nerves. One type relays messages quickly, which causes sharp, sudden pain. The other relays messages more slowly, which creates dull, throbbing pain.

Studies into pain and pain management in Jacksonville, FL, suggest that a person’s emotional well-being can directly impact how they experience pain. Understanding the cause and learning practical ways to cope with your pain can actually help you to improve the quality of your life.

When you visit a pain management clinic, they are likely to suggest a number of different strategies to help you better handle your chronic or acute pain. Some of the different pain management techniques that may be recommended to you can include:

Pain Medicines

Physical Therapies (Heat or Cold Packs, Massage, Hydrotherapy, Exercise, Etc.)

Psychological Therapies (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Relaxation Techniques, & Meditation)

Mind & Body Techniques (Acupuncture)

Community Support Groups

No two bodies are the same, which means there isn’t one answer to successfully managing acute or chronic pain. By visiting with your doctor, they will be able to help you better understand the root cause of your discomfort and then correctly address how to overcome it.

Debilitating pain can distract you from being able to live your life the way you want to live it. When the quality of your life begins to suffer, it can end up making you feel even worse. That is why it is crucial to find pain management solutions before your pain comes between the most important things in your life, such as your family, work, or happiness.

By visiting our pain management clinic in Jacksonville, FL, you are able to have your acute or chronic pain properly diagnosed. Once you better understand what is causing the pain, a treatment plan can begin to help you control your pain and restore your life. Here are just some of the benefits of visiting a pain management doctor:

Personalized Care – There are many factors that can contribute to chronic pain, which means no two patients are ever the same. By visiting a pain management clinic, you will receive a treatment plan designed just for you to help you achieve the best results.

Determining the Cause of Pain – It isn’t always easy to identify the root cause of your pain. However, pain doctors have the training and equipment necessary to perform a thorough evaluation so they can diagnose the reason for your symptoms.

Research & Innovation – Pain medicine and management continuously evolve as new research is performed. Pain doctors make it part of their job to stay abreast of the latest pain treatments so that they can provide you with the best care possible.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people found themselves working from home. While working from home has been a great experience for most people, some realized there are a few drawbacks—especially when dealing with chronic pain. Some of the ways our pain management clinic in St. Augustine, FL, has noticed that the pandemic has increased pain problems include:

Emotionally Drained – Let’s face it; it has been a pretty stressful couple of years. This unrelenting stress has increased mental health problems across the board, which can only further agitate any chronic pain you might be experiencing.

Weight Gain – Studies have shown that the average person gained about two pounds per month during the height of the pandemic. Even small bumps in body weight can significantly increase mechanical forces on parts of the body that can experience chronic pain, including the spine, hips, and knees.

Less Active – How did people gain so much weight during the pandemic? Well, the main issue is that people were far less active. Even simply removing the daily task of walking to your car, driving to work, walking around the office, and driving home has severely reduced the amount of daily activity. Exercise has proven to be one of the best tools when fighting chronic pain, and if you aren’t moving around as much, your issues might become more severe.

Now that we have looked at how the pandemic—and working from home—has negatively impacted us, it is time to look at some of the steps you can take to work through your pain and improve your new lifestyle. Some of these next steps include:

Ease Into It – If you find yourself letting all of your exercise and activity fall to the wayside, it is important to get back into action. But it is also important not to expect your body to be still at the level of performance it was before you stopped working out. Pare back your former exercise program or activity regimen so you can build back up your strength and endurance. This will help minimize the pain flare-ups that could slow your progress.

Ask for Help – Making a change in your life can be difficult, but there are people who can help. Try reaching out to a local pain clinic for guidance on alleviating your pain and making the best of your current work-from-home situation.

Baby Steps – Remember that it was the tortoise that won the race against the hare. While you might think you must rush back into your old life, that isn’t the case. Instead, go slow and steady to build up your mental and physical comfort levels so that you can make it to the finish line and win the race instead of exhausting yourself too early on.

While nothing quite beats going to a professional for back pain treatment in Orange Park, FL, when you are dealing with intense back pain issues, that doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do on your own to help alleviate the problem. Here are four free ways to help you relieve back pain between visits to your pain management specialist.

Sleep Better – Sleeping can be hard when you have back pain. This lack of sleep can then make your pain feel even worse, creating a vicious cycle that is hard to break. To make sleeping more comfortable for you—and your back—we recommend lying on your side when you go to bed with a pillow between your knees to keep your spine in a neutral position. This helps to relieve some of the strain on your back.

Good Posture – It turns out that your mother was right all along—slouching is, in fact, bad for you. If you have poor posture, it can make your back pain worse. This is especially true if you also find yourself sitting for long periods. Make sure you sit upright, don’t slump, with your shoulders relaxed and your body supported against the back of your chair. Also, try putting a rolled towel or a pillow between your lower back and your seat, and always keep your feet flat on the floor.

Don’t Rest an Achy Back – In the past, doctors would likely prescribe some bed rest for back pain, but now we know that is one of the worst things you can do. If your back pain is bad, try not to rest for more than a day or two before you start moving again. Exercise is one of the most effective ways to quickly relieve back pain, mainly walking, swimming, and yoga.

Ice & Heat – Apply ice to the painful areas of your back to help reduce inflammation and pain. Try doing this several times a day for up to 20 minutes each time. After a few days, apply a heating pad or warm pack to help increase blood flow to the affected area and relax your muscles.

More people are working from home than ever before, which has been a great development, but it has also led to more and more people suffering from unwanted pain problems. Why? Because people are getting up and moving around less than they would in an office setting! Thankfully, our pain clinic in St. Augustine, FL, has come up with some helpful pain management tips to assist you in developing pain problems or exacerbating existing ones.

Focus on Your Chair – Since most of your time working from home is spent in your office chair, it is vital to make sure that it is properly adjusted to help you avoid potential posture issues. You should make sure you adjust your armrests so that the angle of your elbow to your wrist is 90 degrees to your torso. Also, it is a good idea to add some support to your lower back so you sit up straighter and make sure the height of the seat allows you to rest your feet flat on the floor.

Focus on Your Workspace – Your desk should be level with your bent elbows when you are keyboarding. It is important to remember that you should never have to bend your wrists.

Focus on Your Computer Screen – Your screen should be slightly below eye level so your head isn’t angling up or down. Try placing books or magazines under the screen to adjust the height without spending additional money. Additionally, make sure you are changing your sitting positions often and get up and take a break every 30 minutes to stretch and move around.

Do you find yourself dealing with daily back pain? You might be shocked to learn there are several different reasons you could be dealing with this discomfort. The team at our pain management clinic has created a quick list of five surprising causes of back pain. If any of them sound like something you’re dealing with, then schedule an appointment for back pain treatment in Orange Park, FL, right away!

Insomnia – It is to be expected that trying to fall asleep with a sore back might not be the easiest thing in the world, but it should also be noted that back pain can develop because of that lack of sleep. One study found that you are almost two times more likely to develop back pain if you have insomnia or other sleeping problems!

The Way You Walk – Flat feet, foot pain, and other problems can throw you off your stride. When you are no longer walking in a healthy way, it can strain other parts of your body—like your back. Do you notice a backache flaring up when you stand up or start to walk? If so, it could be your stride causing the problem.

Smoking – Smokers are almost three times more likely to develop lower back pain than those who don’t smoke. This is because tobacco slows down blood flow to your tissues and bones. This leads to a painful breakdown in the disks of your spine. Worse, smoking also slows down healing, which will only make the ache linger longer.

Too-Tight Pants – They might look great on you, but those tight pants might hurt your back. Snug pants can change your posture and how you move, usually making things much more awkward for your lower spine and pelvis region. It can also make you slump when you sit, which weakens the muscles that keep your spine in line.

Video Gaming – The amount of time you spend seated throughout the day—especially with your head tilted forward and your shoulders slumped—can wreak havoc on your back. Poor posture and hours of sitting can lead to muscle stiffness and strain, so make sure you are getting up and moving around regularly to avoid developing back pain issues.

Arthritis can make performing everyday tasks much more painful and challenging, but did you know there are actually a number of different types of arthritis? Not only that, but the different types can have different symptoms and require unique arthritis treatment in Orange Park, FL.

To help you better identify the symptoms of the different types of arthritis, the doctors at our pain clinic have created the following helpful guide. If you find that you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you are encouraged to reach out to a pain doctor for a consultation so that you can begin a treatment plan.

Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

Joint Pain

Stiffness When Waking Up or After Sitting for a Long Time

Tenderness

Lack of Movement

Grating

Bone Spurs

Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Joint Pain, Swelling, & Tenderness for Six Weeks or Longer

Morning Stiffness for at Least 30 Minutes

More Than One Joint Affected—Especially Small Joints in Your Feet, Hand, & Wrists

The Same Joints Affected on Both Sides of Your Body

Symptoms of Infectious Arthritis

Fever

Chills

Joint Inflammation

Tenderness

Sharp Paint Related to an Injury or Infection Elsewhere in Your Body

When you were younger, back pain could typically be attributed to factors of daily life. Maybe you were sitting at your desk too long or overdid it while exercising. As you get older, however, back pain becomes more and more common. In fact, many patients will simply shrug off symptoms even when those same symptoms are an indication that it is time to see a pain doctor in Jacksonville, FL.

To help you better understand whether or not you should visit a pain clinic, we have created a quick list of five sensations that might indicate a medical emergency. If you are experiencing any of these sensations, then make sure you are scheduling an appointment with your doctor right away:

Sharp Paint instead of a Dull Ache – This could indicate that you have a torn ligament or muscle. It could also mean a problem with an internal organ in the side or back.

Radiating Pain – This pain feels like it moves or shoots to the legs or the glutes. It could indicate a nerve compression condition.

Sudden Weakness in the Legs – Limb weakness can be caused by compressed nerves in the spine due to conditions such as spinal stenosis or sciatica. On the other hand, sudden leg weakness could also indicate a stroke.

Incontinence – When your back pain is paired with an inability to control your bladder or bowels, this is a sign of severe nerve compression or a spine infection, such as meningitis or discitis.

Numbness or Pins & Needles in the Groin or Glutes – Also known as saddle anesthesia, this is a possible sign of a serious nerve or spine condition.

Low back pain is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, so everyone should understand its causes regardless of whether they are currently suffering from it. Due to our experience providing back pain treatment in Orange Park, FL, we’ve observed that one of the most common cases is muscle or ligament strain. Some patients strain these back muscles and spinal ligaments with a sudden, awkward movement, such as while falling. Other people’s strain is due to repeated motions, especially heavy lifting.

However, strain is only one potential cause. Other people come to our pain clinic due to other common issues, such as:

Bulging or Ruptured Disks: Your disks act as cushions between your spine’s bones. When they bulge or rupture, they might press on nerves and cause pain ranging from irritating to debilitating.

Arthritis: Your lower back has joints, so it too can suffer from arthritis. Some patients seek back pain treatment due to arthritis narrowing the space around their spinal cord. Others are suffering from different arthritis-related conditions.

Osteoporosis: Vertebrae are bones, so they can become porous and brittle in patients with osteoporosis. If you suffer a fracture or break, you may find yourself at a pain clinic for lower back pain relief.

Low back pain is something nearly everyone experiences eventually. In fact, it is one of the top causes of missed work in the United States. However, many people don’t know much about this common issue or how to deal with it. Read on to find out the basics of low back pain treatment in Orange Park, FL.

Your low back begins below the ribcage; this area is also called the lumbar region, named after the five lumbar vertebrae. While your low back is sturdy and resilient, it is also subjected to a constant heavy load and frequent stress. Low back pain may be the result of a repetitive motion injury, poor lifting techniques or sitting posture, or a sports or auto accident injury, among other things. It might feel like a dull ache, a stabbing or shooting sensation, or something else.

Acute vs. Chronic Low Back Pain

No matter what caused it, you should seek back pain treatment if the pain does not resolve in 72 hours and inhibits your daily life. Your treatment plan will depend on the nature of your injury and whether you are experiencing acute or chronic pain. Low back pain that comes on suddenly is “acute,” and it tends to be impermanent. If your pain lasts more than three months, it is “chronic.” Regardless of what you’re experiencing, a pain management physician can help you achieve relief and improve your quality of life.