Health Watch by Sherry Mullenix

The North Jefferson News



As the baby boomers hit their 50s and 60s, many are finding out that life hurts a bit more than it once did.

Whe-ther playing tennis, lifting a basket of laundry or just getting out of bed, pain is a new companion to many of this generation. Everyone experiences pain at one time or another. It often is an indication that something is wrong. But, it seems that previous generations were willing to accept pain as an inevitable consequence of aging, where the newly painful baby boomers won’t stand for it.

Each individual is the best judge of his or her own pain. Feelings of pain can range from mild and occasional to severe and constant. It can be acute or chronic.



What is acute pain?

Acute pain begins suddenly and is usually sharp in quality. It serves as a warning of disease or a threat to the body. Acute pain may be caused by many events or circumstances, including:

•Surgery

• Broken bones

• Dental work

• Burns or cuts

• Labor and childbirth

Acute pain may be mild and last just a moment, or it may be severe and last for weeks or months. In most cases, acute pain does not last longer than six months and it disappears when the underlying cause of pain has been treated or has healed. Unrelieved acute pain, however, may lead to chronic pain.



What is chronic pain?

Chronic pain persists despite the fact that an injury has healed. Pain signals remain active in the nervous system for weeks, months, or years.

Physical effects include tense muscles, limited mobility, a lack of energy, and changes in appetite. Emotional effects include depression, anger, anxiety and fear of reinjury. Such a fear may hinder a person’s ability to return to normal work or leisure activities. Common chronic pain complaints include:

• Headache

• Low back pain

• Cancer Pain

• Arthritis Pain

• Neurogenic pain (pain resulting from damage to nerves)

• Psychogenic pain

Chronic pain may have originated with an initial trauma/injury or infection, or there may be an ongoing cause of pain.

However, some people suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage. For the baby boomers, past behaviors are beginning to catch up with them. A lifetime of minor injuries, such as a stress fracture from jogging in their 30s, a back pain from lifting that couch in the 40s all add up to chronic pain as we age.

Baby Boomers are also stubborn about fitness, and often don’t realize they can’t perform the same exercise regimen at age 60 as they did at age 30 without some modification.



How is pain treated?

Depending upon its severity, pain may be treated in a number of ways. Symptomatic options for the treatment of pain may include one or more of the following:

• Drug treatment with non-prescription medications, or stronger medications such as morphine, codeine, or anesthesia

• Nerve blocks (the blocking of a group of nerves with local anesthetics)

• Alternative treatments such as accupuncture, relaxation, and biofeedback

• Electrical stimulation

• Physician therapy

• Surgery

• Psychological counseling

• Behavior modification

Some pain medicines are more effective in fighting pain when they are combined with other methods of treatment. The patient and physician may need to try various methods to maintain maximum pain relief.

Narcotic painkillers such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, and Lortab are widely associated with chronic pain and with addiction.

It a fact that there is a potential for abuse of these drugs, but that does not diminish their value in treating pain. The benefits should be weighted against the risk.

In our do-it-yourself (I can handle it) culture many people prefer finding relief via over-the-counter medications rather than seeing a physician. That’s fine as long as these products are used occasionally and directions on the label are followed.

The over-the-counter NSAID’s (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as Aspirin, Advil, Aleve and Motrin, can lead to gastrointestinal bleeding and raise the risk of cardiovascular problems.

What’s worse is that the older one gets, the more likely the complications with these drugs will be experienced.

Getting older is inevitable, and as the body ages, the likelihood of pain increases. That does not mean chronic pain has to be accepted passively.

Baby Boomers are passionate and often demanding about their health care. While it is estimated that 50 to 65 million people are living with chronic pain, they are not getting adequate relief. If you are one of them, talk to your physician.

Pain is inevitable, suffering is not.

Sherry Mullenix (J.D., R.N.) co-owns The Pharmacy in Mount Olive with her husband, Steve Mullenix (R.Ph). They can be reached at 631-1201.