note to self: excerpt typed from The
New Paper on
Small steps towards managing
pain
Chua Wei Yng
Pain is something that all of us are familiar with. But for those
suffering from chronic pain, it is a demon they must face daily. Dr Sarah
Overton, staff clinical psychologist at the Pain Management and Research
Institute of the
If your long-term goal is to do your grocery
shopping on your own, you can break this down into simple short-term goals. For
instance, you can aim to be able to walk a short distance while at the same
time improve arm strength so that you can carry groceries. You can gradually
increase the distance you walk so that you reach your goal.
Dr Overton said that chronic pain sufferers
often get into a vicious cycle. “On a day that they feel good, they try to do
as much as possible. Their condition flares up, then they spend the next few
days in bed,” she said. What happens is that over time, people end up doing
less and less. Instead, if you try to accomplish a little each day despite the
pain, your muscles won’t deteriorate as fast and you can still enjoy doing the
things you like.
The first thing people in pain have to do is
accept that they will never be 100 per cent pain free. Dr Overton said chronic
pain sufferers sometimes have beliefs that are unhelpful to getting better.
These limiting beliefs can lead to feelings of anger, helplessness,
disappointment and worry. So the education of the patient is very important. Dr
Overton said: “People need to know what is going on in their bodies so that
when they do get pain, they don’t worry unnecessarily.”
This is about learning to be calm, especially
when the pain increases. Tension makes chronic pain even worse. Another
technique is desensitisation, where you focus on the pain while remaining calm
and relaxed.
“Don’t forget to reward yourself, if you wait
for others to compliment you, you might have to wait for a long time!” Dr
Overton said. It is not enough to just learn pain management strategies, it is
also important to continue practising them as often as possible and to
incorporate them into daily life. Dr Overton said: “It is like going to the gym
for a week and thinking, I’m fit now, I don’t have to exercise for the rest of
my life.”
The Pain Management Service, Department of Anaesthesiology, at Tan Tock
Seng Hospital provides a wide range of services that deals with acute,
interventional and chronic pain management. Patients who are interested in pain
management services may call 6357 8046 or visit the Chronic Pain Clinic at
Clinic B1A, TTSH.
dejectium out
1343hrs gmt +8
08 january 2006