21 Jul Chronic Pain Can Persist After Surgery: Is There an Alternative Solution?

If you’re suffering from chronic pain, you’re not alone. According to a report from the Institute of Medicine, an estimated 116 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, and this figure continues to increase year after year. The report referred to a “public health crisis,” as skyrocketing medical and treatment costs prevent Americans from getting the pain relief they deserve. Time Magazine reports that we spend anywhere from $560 to $635 billion dollars annually on pain treatment and lost productivity.

Chronic pain refers to any pain in the body that lasts three months or longer. This pain might be dull or severe, but any pain that lasts beyond normal recovery time for injury or illness is unnatural. For many individuals, it gets in the way of daily activities, work, and disrupts quality of life. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to pinpoint the specific causes of pain, which can range from altered brain chemicals to damaged nerves, physical injury to no known cause.

It’s not surprising, then, that patients seek pain relief wherever possible. One of the most common treatments individuals seek is surgery, which is an invasive attempt to fix problems occurring in the nervous system. The reality, however, is that for many, pain persists beyond major surgery. Today, 1 out of every 6 patients reports they feel no pain relief (or even worse pain) after such an invasive procedure.

The risks of surgery for pain relief include, but are not limited to:

• Surgical trauma and nerve injury. Before pursuing such an invasive procedure, patients and their physicians should minimize nerve injury wherever possible. Since surgery is so invasive, the risk of complication doesn’t always outweigh the positives. Over a fifth of patients now site surgical procedures as the reason behind their chronic pain.
• Rising medical costs. Patients should consider the high cost of surgery and the relatively high rate of failure when it comes to alleviating chronic pain. If surgery doesn’t solve the problem, it can be an expensive mistake. Instead, take a new, personalized approach to pain relief that focuses on holistic health and multimodal treatment.
• Medication side effects. Since surgery is an invasive procedure, patients generally have to take antibiotics to prevent infection. Sometimes, however, an allergic reaction to this medication can cause pain and result in unpleasant side effects.

While there are some cases where surgery is appropriate for pain treatment and pain relief, it should be a last resort. Instead, patients and their healthcare providers should focus on holistic and natural pain care, a personalized approach that considers the patient’s lifestyle, body, and medical situation.