Chronic Pain Assignment

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Pain Assignment
1. Describe the impact of chronic pain on a person
Chronic pain refers to intermittent or persistent pain for a period of 3 months or more that responds poorly to treatment and in some cases have no clear cause. This can affect both physical as well as physiological wellbeing. Chronic pain can result in depression and also affect the person’s ability you participate and perform activities of daily living.
Suffering from chronic pain can be debilitating. It can affect the person’s ability to sleep, his/her relationships with other people thus greatly reducing quality of life.

2. Discuss factors that reinforce chronic pain

• Physical processes, such as certain cancers, are the usual cause for perpetuating chronic pain.
• Psychological factors are also a contributing entity into reinforcing chronic pain.
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o May be used individually to reduce pain or decrease the dosage of other drugs needed to manage pain.
• Acupuncture o Tries to reduce pain by suppressing the transition of one sensory stimuli with another. o Another theory suggests acupuncture raises the pain threshold. Effectively causing carious pains on the patient who is already experiencing pain and thus stimulating production of endogenous opiods and other neurotransmitters that relieve pain.
• Exercise o Active or passive movements increase blood flow as well as prevent spasms and contractures. Thereby, help reduce pain
• Cognitive-behavioural therapies o Attempts to decrease the patients pain level as well as develop the patient’s self-management behaviours and improve self-esteem when dealing with pain. o Thus helping patients to manage chronic pain.
• Relaxation and distraction techniques o Helps decrease stress and muscle tension that may contribute to pain.
5. How you have observed and applied numbers 1-4 in a patient under your