Managing Pain

One of the major problems with migraine treatment is that the causes of pain and discomfort can be very complex.  Migraine symptoms may be triggered by a number of things that you’re not even aware of.  Or, you may be dealing with two or three “different” headaches.  When you try to get treatment for one thing, you think that it’s not working because it doesn’t solve the whole problem.

One way to try to deal with this problem is to go to a pain specialist or clinic.  These clinics specialize in treating chronic pain, and they usually have a staff that can take different approaches.  You may have a dentist, a physical therapist, a chiropractor, or other professionals working together.

I’ve been to a pain clinic myself, but I was reminded of the value of this approach while reading the story of Helen Dearman in FDA Consumer Magazine.  For Helen the problem was back pain, but the article is a good reminder for all of us that our pain may have multiple causes, and that it’s important to keep looking for ways to either eliminate or manage the pain.  The article is from spring 2004, and you can read the author’s thoughts on chronic pain here [link no longer available].