Did you know that over 50 million Americans are living with chronic pain? September is Pain Awareness Month, and its initiative is to raise awareness about the issues that sufferers face every day. In the race to advance chronic pain management, clinical research studies are here to provide a path for bringing improved therapies closer to the patients who need them.
Managing Chronic Pain
Chronic pain can originate from many sources. These include injuries, illnesses, and prolonged physical, emotional, or social stress. Though the brain decides when you are in pain, this does not mean that the pain is in your head. For instance, a broken body part isn’t always the cause of pain. The more signals received to the brain, the more the brain labels the signals as pain. When this occurs, it often prolongs the difficulties that come with experiencing pain.
These tips, when used consistently and together, can help you manage chronic pain:
- Try whole-body stretches, gentle yoga, or tai chi for about 10 to 15 minutes daily.
- Stay active.
- Reduce stress and practice relaxation techniques.
- Pace yourself.
- Address other conditions that worsen the pain.
- Managing pain often means creating opportunities to be positive. Taking part in enjoyable activities has been shown to decrease the effects of pain signals in the body.
- Stay connected with others.
- Get the sleep you need.
Pain Awareness Month
September marks a time to raise public awareness around pain, pain management, and the great work pain professionals do during the month and beyond.
This year, the focus is on the vital importance of an individualized, multidisciplinary, and multimodal approach to pain care. Use the tools on the International Association for the Study of Pain’s webpage to share important information on social media, access the latest research and science around pain, and help shed light on the pain field.
Potential new options are being evaluated in clinical research studies for chronic pain. You can get involved in helping to improve healthcare for individuals with chronic pain by volunteering in clinical research studies.
To learn more about the studies enrolling at our Methuen, MA location, click here, or call (978) 655-7155. Other studies involving potential new therapies for conditions that cause chronic pain are enrolling, too. Click the links to explore these studies at our Portsmouth, NH, Beverly, MA, and Lawrence, MA locations.
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