18/08/2020
I wish pain is easy to understand. Pain is not just a linear read out of the state of the tissue. It is far more nuanced, complicated and individual and it’s time that we actually understand this. We must be aware of the language that we as healthcare professionals and even friends and relatives use and the impact that it can have on a person who’s experiencing pain.
Pain is ALWAYS real! NEVER tell someone is pretending.
Sleep, stress (physical and/or mental), frustration, inactivity, overactivity, nutrition, kinesiophobia, negative beliefs, worry, confusion, thoughts, life events (for example moving out, death of a family member), anxiety and helplessness are all factors that commonly contribute to pain. And there are many many more factors....
My goals are to make sense of someone who’s experiencing pain and find things that possibly are contributing to their pain experience. Then try to manage it better and find ways to improve their quality of life.