Ep. 136: Understanding Chronic Pain
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Are you dealing with chronic pain and need tips on how to manage it? Anyone who has experienced chronic pain knows how debilitating it can be. But why does chronic pain happen? How much of it is neurological, and what are the best ways to soothe it? And is it possible to cure chronic pain? Dr. Michael Wansbrough is the medical director of the pain management and recovery program at Medcan. Here, he and our Move host, Dr. Andrew Miners, explore why we feel chronic pain. They describe how reframing one’s attitude to pain can help mitigate symptoms, and they map out a pathway to long-term relief of chronic pain.
LINKS
Connect with Dr. Wansbrough on LinkedIn.
Medcan’s Pain Management and Recovery Program brings together a multidisciplinary team that creates an individualized plan to treat the root cause and symptoms of your pain.
Check out Dr. Wansbrough’s website and podcast: PainNoPain.
Read The Way Out by Alan Gordon, recommended by Dr. Wansbrough.
Check out Curable, the app designed to help you manage chronic pain symptoms mentioned by Dr. Wansbrough.
Visit Pain Canada, a multi-stakeholder national initiative working toward providing Canadians with access to chronic pain management resources.
To learn more about the methods practitioners use to treat and help manage chronic pain, read the 2022 PEER simplified chronic pain clinical practice guidelines.
Read some scientific research on chronic pain and pain medication:
Effect of Opioid vs Nonopioid Medications on Pain-Related Function in Patients With Chronic Back Pain or Hip or Knee Osteoarthritis Pain: The SPACE Randomized Clinical Trial in the March 2018 issue of JAMA
The Safety and Efficacy of Low-Dose Naltrexone in the Management of Chronic Pain and Inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Crohn's Disease, and Other Chronic Pain Disorders: A Review in the January 2018 issue of Pharmacotherapy
Read the American Society for Regional Anesthesia (ASRA) guidelines and articles for clinicians, mentioned by Dr. Wansbrough
Check out more Eat Move Think episodes to learn more about the dietary habits that Dr. Wansbrough says can help manage chronic pain:
Episode 101: The Link Between Diet, Inflammation and Brain Health
Episode 112: All About Intermittent Fasting
INSIGHTS
Who is Dr. Michael Wansbrough, and where did his interest in chronic pain management come from? [3:24]
What does it mean to treat pain using a holistic approach? [5:08]
Why do we sometimes feel pain without injury, and how does it affect the brain? [6:11]
Dr. Wansbrough and Dr. Miners both use a biopsychosocial approach when they explain chronic pain to their patients. [12:38]
What does it mean to take an active role in one’s chronic pain management? [22:16]
Dr. Wansbrough breaks down different pain medications and explains why they’re not the ideal line of treatment. [25:20]
What are some other options for chronic pain treatment interventions? [29:58]
What role do our lifestyle habits play in our experience of chronic pain and its symptoms, and what does Dr. Wansbrough suggest could help with management? [32:43]
“A three to five percent reduction in chronic pain can save the government $1.2 to $1.9 billion over 10 years,” says Dr. Wansbrough. What are some ways he suggests people can reduce or prevent chronic pain? [35:02]
What does Dr. Wansbrough envision as the future of pain management? [40:02]
*LEGAL
This podcast episode is intended to provide general information about health and wellness only and is not designed, or intended to constitute, or be used as a substitute for, medical advice, treatment or diagnosis. You should always talk to your Medcan health care provider for individual medical advice, diagnosis and treatment, including your specific health and wellness needs.
The podcast is based on the information available at the time of preparation and is only accurate and current as of that date. Source information and recommendations are subject to change based on scientific evidence as it evolves over time. Medcan is not responsible for future changes or updates to the information and recommendations, and assumes no obligation to update based on future developments.
Reference to, or mention of, specific treatments or therapies, does not constitute or imply a recommendation or endorsement. The links provided within the associated document are to assist the reader with the specific information highlighted. Any third-party links are not endorsed by Medcan.