“Maybe it will go away”. I hear these words almost every day I am in the office working with my patients as it relates to the pain syndrome(s) that brought them to seek my services. There is usually a time frame around these words. Some people wait a week, some a month and at times years before seeking treatment . They all hoped the pain would go away. Sometimes it does, like the stubbed toe, the scrape and the road-rash or burn. At times people do feel better, but the reality is they just got used to the pain.
Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong. Quick, appropriate attention is what your body is looking for. Pain is the like the idiot light on your car telling you that something is wrong. If you reach under the dashboard and cut the wires and keep driving, the signal is no longer there, but the cause of the problem remains. Ignore the signal long enough and your minor repair becomes a major overhaul.
Your body is the same way. Our minds have been brainwashed by drug advertisers that if you have pain, you need to take medication. There is a whole smorgasbord of pain relieving options out there from the over the counter pain meds, to the very strong and addicting opiates which have gotten too much press these days.
We have been lead to believe that these pain medications actually relieve pain. A new study published in the British Medical Journal in March 2015 asked this very question about Acetaminophen. There are over 600 Medications on the market containing Acetaminophen, most commonly known in the US as Tylenol. To set the stage, 27 billion does of acetaminophen are taken in the US annually, and as a consequence there are 78,000 Emergency Room Visits resulting in 33,000 hospitalizations every year
The objective of the study was “to investigate the efficacy and safety of paracetamol (acetaminophen) in the management of spinal pain and osteoarthritis of the hip or knee.”
The results of the study as it relates to neck and back pain found, “there was ‘high quality’ evidence that paracetamol is ineffective for reducing pain intensity and disability or improving quality of life. For hip and knee osteoarthritis there was ‘high quality’ evidence that paracetamol provides a significant, although not clinically important, effect on pain and disability in the short term.”
The results also found, “ ‘high quality’ evidence showed that patients taking paracetamol are nearly four times more likely to have abnormal results on liver function test, but the clinical importance of this effect is uncertain.”
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories NSAIDs) also have their risks as well. There is well published but not well publicized evidence that there is a short term benefit in pain relief, but a long term detriment of increased scaring to damaged muscle. That is not to mention the effect of most medications to the kidney, liver and digestive track.
When you have pain, don’t mask it with medication. Yes, there are times that the pain is so bad you may need pain medication so you can manage. There are more effective ways of relieving pain without the side-effects of pain medication. They include rest and ice. You can’t have pain without inflammation. Ice is the safest analgesic, or pain reliever known. It is cheap and effective and can be localized to the source.
If icing, resting and avoiding painful movements do not reduce the pain that is a great time to call us. At Performance Health Center we are experts at getting people out of pain and back to their lives. The 1st objective is to find out what is causing your pain. Is it joint, nerve, muscle, tendon, or something more pathological? We know what we can treat and when to refer. We have techniques, to accelerate the healing process of injured tissue. Treatment may include manipulation, Active Release Technique ®, Kinesio® Taping, Electric Muscle Stimulation and traction. Injury prevention is also a big focus of our practice.
We can also recommend nature pain-relievers and anti-inflammatories which have no side effects. My favorite is Inflavinoid from Metagenics, which is made of Turmeric, Ginger and Boswella, which reduce inflammation and offer pain relief without any side-effects at all!
So if you, or someone you know has been saying those 5 dangerous words, ”maybe it will go away,” for too long, please give us a call and we’ll do our best to get you back on your feet and on with your life as quickly as possible so you can enjoy summer!