Description: Pain is described in a medical sense of physical tissue damage with psychological manifestations. Pain is not only a medical/physical issue: pain affects us emotionally, behaviorally, spiritually, cognitively, socially.

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Pain is a sensation that may be very uncomfortable, and the person experiencing pain will define pain as to their own unique experience of it. The pain experience is subjective to the individual .

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Two types of Pain Disorders:

• Acute Pain: sudden pain; associated with much anxiety; individual seeks immediate pain relief.

• Chronic Pain: pain lasting 1 to 6 months; associated with depression; described as exhausting; may be sporadic or intractable.

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Common Populations Vulnerable to Pain:

• The aged

• Those with a chronic illness

• Those with a degenerative illness

• Those with an acute illness

• Somatic disorders

• Neurological disorders

• Traumatic injuries

• Work related injuries

• Recent stressors/losses

• Idiopathic:unknown pain causes

• Pregnancy

• Respiratory disorders

• Abdominal disorders

• Migraine headaches

• Fatigue

• Fibromyalgia

• Neck and back pain

• Cancers

• Cardiac disorders

• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

•  Phantom Limb Pain

•  Neuropathies

• People with a higher pain sensitivity

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Signs of Pain Disorders:

• Screaming/crying

• Yelling

• Moaning/whimpering

• Sighing

• Cursing

• Facial grimaces

• Fatigue

• Decreased appetite

• Sleeping changes

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Social isolation

• Withdrawal

• Mood changes

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Descriptions of Pain:

• Burning

• Stabbing

• Dull

• Deep

• Exhausting

• Scary

• Cramps

• Pounding

•  Throbbing

•  Unbearable

•  Stings

•  Numbing

•  Intense

•  Sharp

• Radiating

•  Spasms

•  Shooting

•  Nauseating

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Pain Disorders Treatments:

• Medications

• Surgery

• Physical Therapy

• Occupational Therapy

• Psychotherapy/Counseling

• Stress Management

• Anger Management

• Music therapy

• Art therapy

• Rest

• Ice

• Heat

• Swimming

• Biofeedback

• Massage therapy

•  Spirituality

• Meditation

• Exercises

•  Breathing exercises

•  Learning pain management techniques

• Increasing our self-awareness to identify pain triggers

 

 

Resources in Berks County:

• Services, Access & Management of Berks County, for mental health care/emergency and crisis. Call 610-236-0530

• Greater Reading Mental Health Alliance (An affiliate of Mental Health America) for support groups/education. Call 610-775-3000.

• Chronic Pain Anonymous group meets Tuesdays at 7 pm, at Reading Health Rehabilitation Center, on 2802 Papermill Road, Wyomissing, Pa. Call 610-207-3716.

•  Center for Pain Control, 1235 Penn Ave, Suite 302, Wyomissing, Pa. Call 610-374-2927.

• Clinical Pain Management Associates, 2760 Century Blvd. Suite 2, Wyomissing, Pa. Call 610-376-9607.

• Comprehensive Pain Centers, 2211 Quarry Drive, Reading, Pa. Call 610-366-9000.

 

 

Resources in Lehigh/Northampton Counties:

• Services, Access & Management of Lehigh and Northampton Counties, for mental health services/emergency and crisis. Call 610-419-9102.

• National Alliance on Mental Illness ( NAMI). 802 W. Broad Street. Bethlehem, Pa. For education/information and support for friends and family with mental illness. Call 610-882-2102.

• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Group, Lehigh Valley Health Network. Call 610-402-CARE.

• Comprehensive Pain Centers, 4825 W. Tilghman St., Allentown, Pa. Call 610-366-9000. Pain Specialists of Greater Lehigh Valley,in Allentown and Bethlehem. Call 610-402-1757.

• Pennsylvania Pain Management, 1251 So. Cedar Crest Blvd. Ste 203, Allentown, Pa. Call 610-439-1662.

Web Sites:

• www.webmd.com/pain-management

• theacpa.org( American Chronic Pain Association).

• medlineplus.gov/pain.html ( information on pain)

• ucsfhealth.org/conditions/headache/index.html ( education on headaches)

• webmd.com/backpain

• invisiblepain.org ( help for 15 to 40 year olds with debilitating illness)

• invisibleproject.org ( experiences of pain survivors)

• princessinthe tower.org/this-is-what-chronic-pain-sufferers-want-you-to-know

 

Book:

• The Culture of Pain by David B. Morris

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Hotlines:

• 911

• 1-800-SUICIDE

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References:

• American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Arlington, VA, American Psychiatric Association, 2013.

• Klebanoff, N.A.,Smith, N.M.( 1997). Behavior management in home care ( 1st ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven Publishers.

• Morris, D.B.( 1991). The culture of pain. London, England: University of California Press.

•  Sisk, J. (2007). Invisible illness-What you can’t see does hurt her.Social Work Today, 7(6), 18.