How We Can Help You Manage Your Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is so common that, in a three-month period in 2019, more than 20% of adults experienced chronic pain, and 7% had pain so severe that it impaired their life and work activities. Dealing with chronic pain takes an emotional as well as a physical toll. 

If you’re constantly in pain, you may become depressed by your limitations and develop anxiety over the hopelessness of your situation. Many women and men with chronic pain try to self-medicate with alcohol or illicit drugs, which can lead to dependence or addiction.

Our expert family physicians at Health Solutions help you manage your chronic pain using a combination of lifestyle modifications, osteopathic adjustments, and — when necessary — medications. Here’s how we help you manage chronic pain at our locations in Tinley Park, Rockford, and Olympia Fields, Illinois, and Munster, Indiana.

We help you make healthy changes

Chronic pain sets up a vicious cycle that can impair your health and lead to more chronic pain. If you suffered an injury or have a pain condition such as arthritis, you may have stopped exercising regularly while you recuperated or because it hurt too much to move.

Yet modifying your activities leads to more pain. Your joints need to move to stay limber and strong. Cutting back on exercise may lead to weight gain, which can contribute to chronic pain. 

Based on your physical exam, medical and personal history, and various tests, our physicians may recommend a number of lifestyle modifications to restore your body to health so that it can help heal your injuries and pain. Lifestyle recommendations could include:

• Losing weight
• Adding more movement and activities
• Changing to a fresh, whole-foods diet
• Getting outside on a daily basis

We work with you at your current fitness level and with your dietary preferences to create gradual changes that add up to big differences.

We treat underlying conditions

If you have arthritis, diabetes, or another underlying condition, that disease state could be the source of, or contribute to, your pain. Our doctors order tests that help them pinpoint the source of your pain so it can be addressed and healed.

If you have cancer or another disease that causes pain, we may work with your oncologist and other specialists to design a customized treatment and pain management protocol. We take into consideration other medications you may be on when tailoring your protocol.

We provide osteopathic manipulation

Our osteopaths understand how each system in your body is connected to others. As part of your treatment, we may recommend osteopathic manipulation — a hands-on therapy in which your doctor gently moves your muscles and joints with pressure, stretching, and resistance.

Osteopathic manipulation helps alleviate stress and tension but also effectively soothes nerves and promotes healing. Chronic pain conditions that respond well to osteopathic manipulation include:

• Migraines
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Sinus disorders
• Arthritis
• Muscle pain
• Back and neck pain
• Joint problems

Osteopathic manipulation increases circulation throughout the body. Increased blood flow brings the oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and organs that they need in order to heal. 

We administer medications 

If your pain isn’t adequately controlled by lifestyle changes and alternative therapies, we may recommend short-term medications that subdue pain while your body heals. Options may include:

• Muscle relaxants
• Corticosteroids
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Spine, joint, and muscle injections

We may also recommend alternative medicine therapies either singly or in combination with other therapies. If you’ve developed an addiction to or dependence on opioids, we can help you control cravings and beat the addiction with Suboxone® therapy, too. 

Take back control of your life by learning how to manage your chronic pain. We can help by addressing symptoms and promoting healing at the source. Contact the office nearest you by phone or via our online form today.