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Category: Neuropathy

Understanding Primary vs. Secondary Chronic Pain

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Pain is a complex and deeply personal experience, one that we’ve all felt at some point in our lives. But for some, pain persists longer than it should, evolving into what is termed “chronic pain.” This can be further divided into two main categories: Primary and Secondary Chronic Pain. If you or a loved one experiences chronic pain, understanding these classifications can shed light on your situation, enabling better communication with your healthcare providers and enhancing the effectiveness of your treatment plan.

What is Chronic Pain? 

Before delving into the specifics, let’s clarify what chronic pain is. Chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than 12 weeks, surpassing the expected healing period. It might be consistent or intermittent, and it can range from mild to excruciating. While acute pain is a normal bodily response to potential harm or injury, chronic pain persists, becoming a health issue in and of itself.

Primary Chronic Pain

Primary chronic pain is a pain unto itself. It isn’t the result of another disease or an injury, but rather, it is the main problem. One of the hallmarks of primary chronic pain is that it doesn’t have a clear-cut source and may even be general pain throughout the body. After extensive medical examinations, if a specific cause for the pain isn’t identified, it might be classified as primary. For example, fibromyalgia, a condition where individuals feel pain throughout their bodies without an apparent cause, is a classic example of primary chronic pain. Other examples include some types of chronic low-back pain, chronic pelvic pain, and some types of headache.

Primary chronic pain can impact various facets of a person’s life. It might limit physical activities, hamper social interactions, or affect mental well-being. Often, its unpredictability adds another layer of challenge, as patients might not know when a flare-up might occur.

Secondary Chronic Pain

Secondary chronic pain, on the other hand, is a result of another condition or injury. This pain is secondary because its presence can be linked directly to a specific cause. This type of pain is directly related to a known medical condition or injury. Once the condition is treated or managed, the pain typically decreases or goes away.

If someone has osteoarthritis (a degenerative joint disease) and feels chronic pain as a result, that pain is secondary to the disease. Similarly, pain resulting from nerve damage (neuropathic pain) after an injury, or pain linked to inflammation like in rheumatoid arthritis, are other examples of secondary chronic pain.

Since secondary chronic pain is linked to another condition, individuals might experience other symptoms related to that condition. For instance, a person with rheumatoid arthritis might feel pain (secondary chronic pain) but also experience joint swelling and stiffness.

Why Does the Distinction Matter?

If you are suffering chronic pain you might not care about its source. But the differences in primary vs. secondary chronic pain are important for three main reasons:

  1. Treatment Approaches: The approach to managing and treating primary vs. secondary chronic pain can differ significantly. For primary chronic pain, the focus might be more on pain management strategies since there isn’t an underlying condition to treat. This might include a combination of medications, physiotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and lifestyle adjustments. For secondary chronic pain, the treatment will likely address the underlying condition, which in turn should alleviate the pain.
  2. Diagnostic Process: Recognizing the type of pain can streamline the diagnostic process. If a patient presents with symptoms of a known condition (like osteoarthritis), and they complain of pain, the physician can make a quicker link between the two. However, if there’s no apparent cause, understanding primary chronic pain can prevent unnecessary investigations and lead to quicker pain management solutions.
  3. Setting Expectations: Understanding whether one’s pain is primary or secondary can help set realistic expectations. It allows patients to have a clearer picture of their journey ahead – whether it’s focused on managing pain or treating an underlying condition.

Living with chronic pain can be an overwhelming experience, but understanding its nature can empower patients in their healthcare journey. Whether it’s primary or secondary, recognizing the nuances of chronic pain can lead to better treatment plans, more effective communication with healthcare providers, and an overall improved quality of life.

We Are Here to Help Alleviate Chronic Pain

Always remember, if you’re experiencing persistent pain, it is essential that you consult with a medical professional. Every individual’s pain experience is unique, and only a comprehensive evaluation can offer insights tailored to your specific situation. Summit Spine & Joint has multiple pain management locations where our pain specialists can help alleviate your suffering. Please contact us to schedule a consultation with one of our pain specialists to discuss your specific situation.  We now have 28 convenient locations available in Georgia including our featured new location for Pain Management in Newnan, GA.

What is Diabetic Neuropathy?

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Diabetic neuropathy is a kind of nerve damage you may experience if you suffer from diabetes. High glucose (blood sugar) levels can damage nerves throughout your body, but most often those in the legs and feet. Symptoms can range from numbness and pain to digestive system and heart issues.

While some people only have mild symptoms, others suffer from painful, disabling effects. This is a serious diabetes complication that impacts about half the people who have diabetes. About 37 million people in this country have diabetes, or one in 10, according to the CDC.

Luckily, there are non-invasive treatments that can help you live your life again without numbness or pain.

Causes of Diabetic Neuropathy

While the exact cause is unknown, there are a few factors that could contribute to diabetic neuropathy, such as:

  • High blood sugar: This causes chemical changes in nerves, impairing their ability to transmit signals. High glucose levels can also damage blood vessels responsible for carrying oxygen and nutrients to all the nerves in your body.
  • Metabolic factors: High triglyceride and cholesterol levels can elevate the risk of neuropathy. Those who are overweight or obese are also more likely to develop neuropathy.
  • Heredity: Certain genetic traits may make some people more vulnerable to nerve disease.

Symptoms of Diabetic Neuropathy

There are four types of diabetic neuropathy, and you may have one or more of them at once. Your symptoms will vary with what type you have and which nerves are impacted. Many people don’t know that they have diabetic neuropathy until it is in its advanced stages.

1.      Peripheral neuropathy

Also known as distal symmetric peripheral neuropathy, this is the most common type. It first affects the feet and legs, then the hands and arms. Symptoms tend to be worse at night and can include:

  • Numbness
  • Reduced ability to feel pain or changes in temperature
  • Tingling or burning sensations
  • Sharp cramps or pains
  • Increased sensitivity to touch
  • Foot problems such as infections, ulcers, and bone and joint pain

2.      Autonomic neuropathy

This system is responsible for controlling the heart, bladder, intestines, stomach, sex organs and eyes. Diabetes often affects the nerves present in these systems, leading to:

  • Lack of awareness of low blood sugar levels
  • Bladder or bowel issues
  • Slow stomach-emptying, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite
  • Changes in eye adjustment from light to dark
  • Decrease in sexual response

3.      Proximal neuropathy

This type only affects nerves in the hips, thighs, buttocks and legs, and maybe even the abdominal and chest area. Symptoms typically appear on one side of the body, possibly spreading to the other side. This may result in:

  • Severe hip, thigh or buttock pain
  • Weak or shrinking muscles in the thigh
  • Difficulty getting up from a seated position
  • Severe stomach pain

4.      Mononeuropathy

Cranial and peripheral are the two types of mononeuropathy, a term that refers to the damage a specific nerve sustains. Mononeuropathy can result in:

  • Difficulty focusing
  • Double vision
  • Aching behind one eye
  • Bell’s palsy (paralysis on one side of the face)
  • Numbness or tingling in the hand or fingers except the pinkie
  • Weakness in hands

You should see a doctor when you:

  • Have a cut or sore on your foot that becomes infected or doesn’t heal properly
  • Have burning, tingling, weakness or pain in the feet or hands that interferes with sleep or daily activities
  • Digestion, urination or sexual function changes
  • Dizziness or fainting

Diagnosis of Diabetic Neuropathy

Early diagnosis is the best way to start more effective and successful treatment. Your doctor will diagnose you based on an examination, medical history and lab tests. They may also check your reflex and muscle strength, as well as muscle sensitivity. They may also order additional tests, ultrasounds, skin biopsies, and nerve conduction studies.

Contact Summit Spine and Joint Centers

We would be happy to discuss treatments for diabetic neuropathy that can help you live without pain. Just contact us for a consultation at 770-962-3642.

 

 

 

Most Stressful Life Events

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From the death of a child to divorce to personal injury, there are many top stressful life events that can affect both your mental and physical health.

The correlation between stressful life events and physical health has been studied extensively over the years. In fact, the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale is used by physicians and scientists to determine if the most stressful life events can predict future illness. It’s actually a list of 43 stressful life events that have been found to contribute to illness.

This scale is helpful in knowing whether a person is at risk for getting an illness in the future, or even if they can take advantage of stress reduction interventions.

A Look at the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale

Back in 1967, researchers Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe found that a strong correlation between health and stress did indeed exist. This prompted them to rank stressful situations on a scale from most to least stressful, indicating which life stressors place individuals at a higher risk for becoming ill.

Each stressful event was assigned a “Life Change Unit” score. Over the course of a year, those scores are added together to calculate your risk of illness. The top 10 most stressful life events for adults are:

  1. Death of a spouse or child
  2. Divorce
  3. Marital separation
  4. Imprisonment
  5. Death of a close family member
  6. Personal injury or illness
  7. Marriage
  8. Dismissal from work
  9. Marital reconciliation
  10. Retirement

For children and teens, the most stressful events include:

  1. Death of a parent
  2. Unplanned pregnancy/abortion
  3. Getting married
  4. Divorce of parents
  5. Acquiring a visible deformity
  6. Fathering a child
  7. Jail sentence of a parent for over one year
  8. Marital separation of parents
  9. Death of a sibling
  10. Change in acceptance by peers

Types of Illness

Of course, there are other stressful life events for both children and adults than those listed above, from buying a new home to being the victim of a crime. The point is, stressful life events can cause a variety of illnesses for anyone of any age.

Stress not only affects our physical health, it also affects our minds and our behaviors. It’s important to be able to recognize and manage common stress symptoms. Ignoring those symptoms can contribute to a variety of health problems, such as obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.

Your body will tell you that stress is taking a toll, manifesting itself in chronic pain, fatigue, muscle tension, sleep problems, stomach upset and irritable bowel syndrome. In fact, stress is one of the most common triggers of flare ups of fibromyalgia, a long-term condition causing pain, tenderness and extreme sensitivity to touch.

Some of the types of illnesses that can develop as a result of stress include:

  • Chronic pain (lower back and neck pain)
  • Obesity: This is a root cause of many other serious conditions. When stress becomes chronic, excessive levels of cortisol (stress hormone) develop fatty deposits around the midsection.
  • Diabetes: Stress increases the glucose levels of those with Type 2 diabetes.
  • Depression and anxiety: Stress increases the chances of developing these conditions by 80 percent.
  • Gastrointestinal disorders: Stress can worsen gastrointestinal issues, as well as contribute to chronic heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
  • Premature aging: Studies show that chronic stress accelerates the pace of aging.
  • Alzheimer’s disease: Stress may accelerate the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, as it can cause the brain to form lesions more rapidly.

Contact Summit Spine & Joint Centers for Pain Relief

If stress has been manifesting itself in chronic pain or worsening your fibromyalgia and other conditions, call us for a free, no-obligation consultation today at 770-962-3642. We can help relieve your pain and restore your life with many state-of-the-art minimally invasive techniques including treatment options for nerve pain.

 

 


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