Quick Fix for Chronic Pain? Consider this
There is an imperative that almost every Practitioner feels, which is to help their clients get better as quickly as possible. So, when someone comes in with a chronic problem, it presents us with a particular challenge.
Chronic, derived from the Greek word, kronos, means ‘Time’. The term ‘Chronic Pain’ means that the pain has been around for a while – some authorities say at least three months and others say at least six months. When a medical person describes symptoms as ‘chronic’, it doesn’t automatically mean that the symptoms are severe, it simply denotes that the length of time the symptoms have been present. Indeed, ‘chronic’ may mean 10 or 20 years, or longer. They may be severe or simply annoying, but it is the duration of the problem that gives rise to the term ‘Chronic’. This blog asks, ‘How easy is it to get a ‘quick fix’ for a long-standing problem?’ Also, ‘How wise is it to aim for a quick fix?’
When a problem is chronic, it isn’t going to be simple. If it were, then it would have either resolved itself by now, or another practitioner would have sorted it out. Here’s the rub: a chronic problem usually has several layers.
Now, these could be ‘mechanical layers’, and over time, one layer has affected another. For example, a twist in the lower back may lead to a counter-twist in the upper back, and in turn, this might cause a further twist in the neck or mid-back, and this might affect the way we stand, the position of the hips and knees, and so on. So whilst you might come in complaining of chronic lower back pain, there may be a series of twists and counter-twists each contributing to the problem.
Or the ‘layers’ may be layers of ‘neurological change’. For example, an area has become so bombarded with pain signals that it may be ‘over-sensitised’, firing off severe, amplified pain responses at the slightest touch. In some people, there can even be layers of change in one’s'”physiology’ or ‘immune system’. This is the sort of thing that can give rise a painful condition like fibromyalgia.
When an Osteopath works to unravel problems like these, we are like body detectives, and this isn’t about finding some kind of ‘quick fix’, but rather, it is about tracing through the layers with the aim of providing lasting change.
Choosing a carefully thought-out treatment that unravels the problem gently, carefully and safely is, in my opinion, by far the better option compared to submitting to the unseen pressures of providing a ‘quick fix’.
A steady change provides a stable resolution to a chronic problem. Further, as a client, you are likely to experience fewer, if any, of the unwanted side-effects that sudden changes can bring.
So, if you have a problem that has built up or existed over time, what you need is someone who will improve you as quickly as possible – for sure – but will work to achieve a steady, clear change whilst always putting safety and comfort foremost.
