Students Combating Chronic Pain

Do you face frequent or prolonged headaches? Have you noticed a constant pain in your back arising in the colder months? Do your joints begin to hurt more than expected when you perform physical activities? You may be suffering from chronic pain. As a student, you are subjected to long hours of study and classes that could prove to be uncomfortable for your body. It is essential to take precaution before your body develops a chronic condition

Chronic pain is in common terms, pain that is persistent. It is commonly caused due to musculoskeletal injuries, autoimmune diseases, nervous system dysfunction and chronic diseases. There are three main areas of our body that are subjected to chronic pain, which are, our head, back and joints.

Chronic Headaches 

A chronic headache lasts for at least 15 days of the month and goes on for a minimum of three months. Common chronic headaches are tension headaches, eye strain headaches, migraines and cluster headaches. 

Tension headaches arise from fatigue, stress and irregular sleep patterns. Limit your all-nighters and make sure to follow a schedule so that you aren’t overworked. 

Eye strain headaches are exactly what they sound; they are caused when our ocular muscles are strained. Make sure you limit your time using electronic devices and check your lighting when you’re reading. 

Migraines are severe headaches that stem from nervous system triggers or hormonal irregularities. Individuals may suffer from headaches in particular parts of their head. These are cluster headaches and they’re caused due to the enlargement of our blood vessels. Regulate your use of prescription drugs and reduce or better yet, eliminate the consumption of cigarettes and alcohol. 

Chronic Back Pain 

This is more commonly experienced in the lower back and is caused due to injuries, arthritis, osteoporosis or natural wear and tear. It is the result of slipped or bulging discs, spinal stenosis, compression fractures, soft tissue damage due to strain or trauma, spinal fractures, scoliosis or lordosis. Spinal stenosis involves the narrowing of the spinal canal and compression of nerves. Soft tissue damage occurs when there is trauma to back muscles, ligaments or tendons. 

Chronic back pain can prove to be a serious issue and hamper the patients day to day performance. If you are an active athlete or used to be in the past, and may be suffering from back pain, it is wise to get yourself checked. There is also a possibility of the heavy bag weight students have had to carry during their school years that could have developed into one of this generation’s biggest complaints. 

Chronic Joint Pain 

This kind of pain is mostly caused by injuries, infection or ageing. The most common reason for chronic joint pain is arthritis. Specifically osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis and tendinitis. Osteoarthritis affects large joints and is more common among the elderly. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that causes our joints to swell up. Bursitis occurs when the fluid-filled sacs that cushion our joints get inflamed. Tendinitis is the inflammation of our joint’s tendons. Chronic pain is also a result of repetitive motion injury which is most often seen in people who are subjected to regular strenuous physical activity, such as athletes. 

Chronic Nerve Pain 

This is also known as neuropathic pain which occurs when our nerves are stripped off of myelin sheath, i.e. their protective exterior coating. This happens when nerves are damaged, compressed, or exposed to drugs. Chronic nerve pain is the result of conditions such as sciatica, diabetic neuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome and trigeminal neuralgia. Sciatica is a sharp shooting pain in the leg caused by a nerve compression. Diabetic neuropathy is the umbrella term for nerve disorders usually occurring in our hands or feet that are caused by diabetes. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a tingling, numbing or sensation of weakness in the wrist due to a strain on its nerves. Trigeminal neuralgia is severe facial pain caused by damage to the trigeminal nerve of the face. Did you know? Simple repetitive motions of texting on your phone and typing on a computer may contribute to a case of carpal tunnel. 

Diagnosing Chronic Pain 

The keyword being ‘chronic’ which means ‘constantly recurring’, a diagnosis of chronic pain is usually made only after three to six months of experiencing it. Patients have to go through numerous tests such as imaging, blood work and nerve tests to eliminate the probability of certain diseases and disorders and eventually draw up the right diagnosis. The most common methodologies of detecting chronic pain symptoms are X-rays, MRI scans and CT scans. 

Multiple Cases of Chronic Pain 

A recent review of 14 different studies found that there is a link between chronic back pain and headaches. It said that patients suffering from chronic joint or head pain have twice the chances to experience the other disorder. This review was published in the Journal of Headache and Pain where the 14 studies had a variety of sample ages; the smallest of which were 88 participants and the largest sample size was a study conducted with 404,206 participants. 

It is said that chronic pain is a sort of disability that the patient has to live with. The review of these studies determined that patients suffering from one type of chronic pain are highly sensitive to the other one. This urges doctors to look into combined treatments that help counter both aiments at once. At the moment, there are a few holistic remedies. It is best for science to invent a sort of multi-purpose medication that combats both disorders at once. It would also ease the patients financial burdens with one solution for multiple problems. 

For now, the right medical and physiological management can help provide a quality life for patients. Once there is substantial research conducted and science is able to clearly understand the complex biological relationships that interlinks two disorders, patients can look forward to a better quality of life that they are already provided. 

For more informative blogs and to keep up with the latest breakthrough in medicine, stay tuned to www.smbt.edu.in