What’s the Difference Between Arthritis and Bursitis?
They both cause joint pain and swelling, but arthritis and bursitis aren’t the same. Find out the difference between these two issues to better understand which one is causing your joint pain.
Common Causes of Chronic Pain and How We Can Help
More than 25 million adults in the United States report experiencing pain every day for three or more months, and more than half of those with chronic pain say their pain is severe. Chronic pain makes everyday activities and responsibilities, like going to work and spending time with friends and family, feel impossible.
At Orthopedic & Wellness, our compassionate physicians — Dr. Ojedapo Ojeyemi and Dr. Matthew Roh — specialize in pain management. We understand how chronic pain can affect every aspect of your life. Here, we cover common causes of chronic pain and explain how we can help you.
About chronic pain
Pain is difficult to ignore. That’s why your body uses it as a signal to let you know something is wrong — acute pain usually comes on unexpectedly, is severe, and goes away as soon as you address the cause of the pain.
Chronic pain is pain that doesn’t go away, even after the initial cause has healed. It’s a pain that lasts three or more months and is always there or comes and goes. The pain might remain after an initial injury or develop from an unknown cause.
Chronic pain is more complex than acute pain, and no single treatment works for everyone, making it more challenging to treat.
Types and causes of chronic pain
When it comes to helping you get relief from your chronic pain, your doctor must first find the cause. Knowing the cause helps direct treatment. For the record, however, the underlying cause of chronic pain isn’t always known.
Common types of chronic pain include:
These pain conditions may develop from an injury or illness or from degenerative changes that occur over time. Back and neck pain, for example, often develop because of disc degeneration leading to a herniated disc or spinal stenosis that compresses or irritates a nerve, causing pain.
Getting help for chronic pain
Finding relief for your chronic pain is a team effort that requires your active participation. Because no single treatment is effective in every case, you and your doctor work together to find the best solution to address your chronic pain condition.
At Orthopedic & Wellness, we first focus on treating the cause of your pain. For example, if you have sciatica resulting from a herniated disc, we may recommend physical therapy to strengthen spinal support, easing pressure off of the sciatic nerve. We may also prescribe oral anti-inflammatory medications.
When conservative care fails to ease your pain, we may recommend interventional pain management treatments such as:
- Epidural injections
- Joint injections
- Botox® injections
- Bursa injections
- Trigger point injections
- Nerve blocks
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Spinal cord stimulation
These pain management treatments may provide long-term relief. If they fail, our orthopedic surgeon or spine surgeon may recommend surgical interventions to help you get relief from your pain.
Individualized, compassionate care
Even though there are similar causes of chronic pain, what works for one person may not work for you. Because we’re experts in pain management, we understand the need for individualized care. We can help you find the best solution for managing your chronic pain.
We have offices in Frederick, Germantown, and Waldorf, Maryland. Call the location most convenient to you, or book an appointment using our online scheduling tool today.
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