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Pain can occur in any part of the body and due to a number of reasons. It can lead to discomfort or unpleasant feeling depending on its severity.
Pain may indicate some problem with the affected area. However, pain is an individual thing as every person has a varying degree of pain tolerance.
But if the pain is significant or persistent, it is advisable to visit a specialist for a diagnosis.
What is Acute Pain?
Acute pain is sudden and is typically caused by a specific health issue. The pain feels sharp and usually lasts no longer than six months.
Acute pain might be a symptom of injured or diseased tissue and the extent of pain will depend on the seriousness of tissue damage. It subsides over time as the underlying cause of the pain is treated.
Once the acute pain is over, the person can have a comfortable life with no residual discomfort.
For example, a person with herniated disc will have relief from the acute pain as the pressure on the nerve alleviates. Therefore, medical treatment for such conditions involve pain management.
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is an ongoing and long lasts condition (usually lasts for more than six months).
This type of pain may remain even after the underlying issue has healed or been treated.
The signals for the pain remains active in the nervous system for some time, ranging from a few weeks, months to years. There are various kinds of health conditions and diseases that can lead to chronic pain.
For chronic pain, the course varies widely, unlike acute pain which have a straightforward path correlating the cause and effect.
However, it is important to keep in mind that not all pains that persists will develop into chronic pain. It varies even among people who have the similar conditions.
The treatment for chronic pain will, therefore, differ for every case, such as a specific medication or injection might be an effective pain management option for a herniated disc in some cases but not for all.
It is generally seen that factors unrelated to tissue damage and injury become more prominent if the pain shifts from the acute phase to the chronic stage.
The lack of exercise and lifestyle habits along with psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, and declines in physical condition, can also have an influence.
Pain Management
For chronic Pain: It can be a primary problem, rather than a symptom of an illness, and specific measure for treatment might be needed.
Many hospitals have a specialized centre the medical specialty of pain management to treat all kinds of pain.
Management of chronic pain involves a multi-disciplinary team to cover all aspects and causes of the pain for best treatment.
Conservative Approaches for Chronic Pain Management
Conservative treatments like physical therapy, pain killers, and steroid injection are preferred to treat chronic pain.
Usually, these treatments work most effective for pain which has an identifiable cause. These treatments aims to strengthen the muscles and correct postural or structural imbalances which is causing the pain.
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Medication for Pain Management
Most people start with pain medication to relieve the pain and many rely on the use of painkillers for long-term chronic pain.
This offers temporary relief from the pain even when there is non-identifiable cause for the pain.
However, they have not been effective in relieving neuropathic pain. These medications can also be addictive and may become less effective for providing a long-term pain relief.
When patients develop a tolerance to the medication, they turn to higher dosages.
Targeted Treatments
Injections such and other targeted treatments focus on helping a particular area, with a rapid and effective pain relief.
These targeted treatment options helps patients resume mobility and promote healthy long-term spine health.
These treatment methods work the best when pain has an symptoms, but it may sometimes be used to treat pain even without any symptoms.
Surgery for Chronic Pain Treatment
The doctors recommend surgery for chronic back pain when the non-surgical methods like injections fail to provide significant pain relief.
Surgery is often a last option as it includes a lengthy recovery period, varying duration of hospital stays, risk of post-surgical issues. Also you can do yoga for pain after surgery.
Sometimes patients report continuous ongoing pain even after the surgery due to failed back surgery known as “Failed Back Surgery Syndrome”.
The risk of this complication keeps on increasing with each successive surgery performed on the patient after the failed back surgery.
Spine Surgery in India
India has an advanced healthcare industry, which caters to a large volume of domestic and international patients.
The country offers world-class hospitals, experienced surgeons, and cheaper prices to the patients.
The overall cost for spine surgery in best spine surgery hospital in India will depend on various factors, including the choice of hospital and its location, doctor’s fee, length of stay in the hospital and country, rooms and many other factors.