Pain Management in Point Cook

Why pain deserves attention

Pain affects far more than the part of the body that hurts. It can disturb sleep, lower mood, strain relationships and make work harder. Understanding what kind of pain you have is the starting point for managing it well.

Types of pain

• Acute pain comes on suddenly, often after an injury, illness or surgery, and eases as healing occurs.
• Chronic pain continues for three months or more, beyond normal healing time, and may be linked to arthritis, a past injury or nerve changes.
• Intermittent pain comes and goes, as with migraine, period pain or flare-ups of back pain.

Understanding persistent pain

In chronic pain, the nervous system can become more sensitive, so pain continues after tissues have healed. That does not mean the pain is imagined. It means treatment often focuses on calming that sensitivity and building capacity, not only on looking for damage.

Assessing your pain

Expect questions about when the pain started, where it is, what eases or aggravates it, and its effect on sleep and daily life. An examination follows, and tests or imaging are arranged when they are likely to change the plan. Keeping a short pain diary for a week or two beforehand can make this conversation more productive.

Building a pain management plan in Point Cook

Long-term pain is usually best managed with more than medicine alone. Plans commonly combine several elements:

• graded increases in activity
• physiotherapy and exercise
• sleep routines and stress management
• pacing, so a good day does not lead to a setback
• psychological strategies to reduce the impact of pain
• medicines, reviewed regularly for benefit and side effects

Headaches and migraine

Recurring headaches are a common reason people seek help with pain. Keeping a record of triggers, frequency and pain relief use is useful, because taking pain relief on many days each month can itself cause medication overuse headache.

Coordinated care for chronic pain

People with a chronic condition may be eligible for a GP chronic condition management plan. The plan brings the different parts of care together, and it can open access to Medicare rebates for some allied health appointments each year, such as Physiotherapy.

Red flags

Call 000 or go to an emergency department for chest pain, severe pain after an injury, a sudden severe headache, or back pain with leg weakness, numbness around the groin, or loss of bladder or bowel control.

Common questions