At Compleo Waco, chronic pain is something we take seriously. We want you to find a way to live your life to the fullest potential and chronic pain frequently interferes with that goal. Chronic pain presents differently in every patient and is typically complex and multifactorial contributing to many failed attempts at treatment. At Compleo, our goal is to provide you with an individualized approach and listen to gain a full understanding of your history in order to provide you with successful treatment for chronic pain.
Defining Chronic Pain:
Chronic pain is pain that has been occurring for at least 3 months (can be constant or intermittent). Chronic pain can look different for each patient, which is why it is often hard to treat. Chronic pain affects sleep, work, and activity level which can be discouraging for a patient.
What Caused my Chronic Pain?
Unfortunately, we do not always know the initial cause of chronic pain. Sometimes, our bodies have a poor healing response to a known injury and we do not recover as predicted. Other times, it is harder to pinpoint what the inciting cause was. Chronic pain can be from physical causes (such as a broken leg), emotional causes (trauma), or a combination of traumatic events.
We often compare our bodies in pain to an alarm system. A leaf blowing by a window should not set off an alarm system, but throwing a brick through the window should. When our bodies enter a state of chronic pain, it is like the sensitivity of our alarm system has been dialed up and the alarm does not want to turn off even with low-level stimuli such as a leaf blowing by. There are therapeutic techniques that can help you dial the alarm system down to make it more manageable.
What is the best approach to treating chronic pain?
The best approach is a team approach. Chronic Pain not only creates physical pain but can contribute to many emotions that eventually lead to anxiety and depression. This is why we have built a staff of physical therapists, counselors/Behavioral Health, and registered dietitians in Waco to ensure you are treating your whole self. Providers who prioritize one:one treatments, listening, and communicating with specialists outside of the clinic are important as well. Book an appointment today with our experts.
