Is chronic pain impacting your life or the life of someone you love?

An analysis conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that approximately 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. According to the American Chronic Pain Association, chronic pain is, “ongoing or recurrent pain, lasting beyond the usual course of acute illness or injury or more than 3 to 6 months, and which adversely affects the individual’s well-being.” In addition to physical effects, chronic pain can also have psychological effects, such as fatigue, mood changes, stress, anxiety, depression, irritability, or restless nights of sleep.

Chronic pain varies in intensity and frequency. Some experience chronic pain constantly while others experience it in episodes. According to the CDC, approximately 19.6 million Americans suffer from chronic pain that has limited their daily activities on most days or every day during the past 6 months.

Chronic pain can originate from a wide variety of sources. The most common sources are:

• Joint pain
• Headaches
• Back pain
• Injury-related pain

Accomplished pain management physician Dr. Joshua Goldner from The Pain Management Center at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center recently hosted a Facebook Live event to talk about chronic pain management and available treatment options, and to provide answers to commonly asked questions on the topic.

Dr. Goldner says, for those who might be experiencing persistent pain, some questions to ask are:

• Has my pain lasted for 12 weeks or more (or beyond an acute illness or injury)?
• Am I experiencing this pain multiple times a month?
• Does my pain prevent me from completing day-to-day activities?
• And, has my quality of life been impacted by my pain?

“If you answer yes to these questions, it is time to seek out help. Pain can have a significant impact on your quality of life. Not only due to its physical effects, but also due to the psychological effects it can have, such as fatigue, anxiety, and depression,” said Dr. Goldner. “Unfortunately, chronic pain impacts all age groups.”

The Pain Management Center uses a balanced approach to treating pain, while also working with a patient’s other physicians to fully understand the patient’s overall health and how best to treat the pain. During the Facebook event, Dr. Goldner said a common misperception is that pain management only involves opioid therapy. “Medication management, which could include opioids, is only one available tool to treat pain,” says Dr. Goldner. The center also uses several interventional procedures that include epidural steroid injections, facet joint injections, selective nerve root blocks, radiofrequency ablation, neuromodulation and minimally invasive decompression procedures.

The Pain Management Center is at 6701 Rockside Road, Suite 100, Independence, with office hours also available at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center Main Campus in downtown Cleveland and the St. Vincent Charity Medical Campus - Solon.

At the Pain Management Center at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, their highly skilled team of pain specialists, which includes Dr. Joshua Goldner, provides patients with personalized care plans to help restore function for daily life activities. For more information or to make a referral, call the office at 216.624.4284.