Unlike the acute pain that one feels as the result of a specific accident or injury, all too often seniors are plagued by chronic pain and suffering as part of everyday life. Chronic pain is defined as continuous long-lasting pain and over 1.5 billion people worldwide are estimated to suffer from it. Unlike temporary acute pain, chronic pain can be debilitating and stop sufferers from participating in the activities that they love. There are a number of medical conditions which can cause chronic pain but one of the primary sources is from an initial injury which goes from being acute to chronic pain. Seniors can fight chronic pain by visiting their doctor, doing formal physical therapy or exercises on their own. There are also holistic approaches to treating chronic pain such as meditation or acupuncture.
Key Takeaways:
- Chronic pain is characterized as pain that lasts for twelve weeks or more and it affects over 100 million people in The US.
- Chronic pain has a variety of causes and it can take a particularly large toll on the social and private lives of older people.
- There are many things people with chronic pain can do to improve their quality of life including exercise, therapy and meditation.
“Chronic pain has a number of causes and takes a number of forms in different people, but the one thing it has in common for everyone that has it is that it lasts for a long time and can take a big toll on your life.”
Read more: https://www.senioradvisor.com/blog/2017/10/what-seniors-should-know-about-chronic-pain/