Pain that persists after healing needs specialised care, say experts
As September is observed as Pain Awareness month, the Karnataka Chapter of the Indian Society for Study of Pain has launched a public awareness campaign to seek specialised care if pain persists
Experts emphasize that ongoing pain following a healed injury demands specialized medical attention. A 42-year-old woman from Mysuru experienced persistent severe pain, swelling, and stiffness in her hand despite the fracture from months ago having fully healed. Diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), this condition occurs when the nervous system continues to produce pain after the initial injury has recovered.
With targeted pain management, she gradually regained her independence. Pain specialists urge recognition of chronic pain as a condition needing specialized care. Between June 2023 and now, the pain clinic at Victoria Hospital, affiliated with Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), has managed over 1,200 patients through advanced pain-relieving procedures and provided consultations to more than 4,000 individuals.
As September marks Pain Awareness month, the Karnataka Chapter of the Indian Society for Study of Pain (ISSP) has launched a public awareness campaign encouraging those experiencing chronic pain beyond normal healing to seek specialized care. The clinic's team, led by Dr. Nethra S.S., has performed numerous advanced pain intervention procedures for various chronic pain conditions such as cancer, neuropathic, musculoskeletal, spine, knee, shoulder pain, and trigeminal neuralgia.
They employ techniques like image-guided nerve blocks, joint injections, and radiofrequency ablation, a procedure made possible by the acquisition of a radiofrequency ablation machine at BMCRI. Dr. Sadasivan S. Iyer, consultant and lead at Manipal Hospital, clarifies that chronic pain is not just a sign to 'live with it' as previously believed.
Persistent pain lasting beyond three months can represent a medical condition itself, requiring specialized evaluation and treatment. While acute pain alerts the body to injury or illness, prolonged pain may persist due to the nervous system's continued transmission of pain signals even after tissue healing. Thus, normal scans do not imply imagined pain, while imaging abnormalities may not always explain symptom severity.
Pain medicine extends beyond merely prescribing stronger painkillers, involving medication optimization, physical rehabilitation, psychological support, lifestyle changes, and minimally invasive procedures like nerve blocks, epidural injections, and radiofrequency ablation. The ultimate aim is not solely to lower pain scores but to improve patients' sleep, enable them to return to work, perform daily activities, and regain independence, ultimately enhancing their quality of life.
According to ISSP, millions of Indians suffer from persistent back and neck pain, sciatica, diabetic neuropathy, post-herpetic neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, cancer pain, and lingering surgical pain. Specialists advise seeking evaluation if pain endures beyond three months, recurs frequently, disrupts sleep or daily activities, persists despite treating the initial illness, or involves unusual sensations like burning, shooting, or electric shock-like pain.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
