4 Tips to Deal with Chronic Pain and Depression

Chronic pain is a pain in any part of the body that continues for more than three to six months. A patient suffering from chronic pain often falls into depression, which further worsens and exacerbates their pain.
Chronic pain can occur due to accidental injuries or medical problems such as degenerative disc disease, arthritis, obesity, etc. Here are a few tips for dealing with chronic pain and depression.
Tip #1: Alert Your Doctor about Depression Associated with Pain Immediately
Patients who have a history of clinical depression are more prone to developing chronic pain and increased stress. Suppose you’re experiencing anxiety, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, feeling hopeless or uninterested in everyday activities, suffering from lack of motivation, reduced appetite, or low energy. In that case, you need to immediately tell your doctor so they can diagnose your condition accurately.
Pay attention to your body’s signals. If you experience back or neck pain, muscle or joint ache, or excess fatigue, alert your physician so they can advise effective coping techniques to prevent the pain from increasing.
Tip #2: Identify Stress Triggers
Stress or emotional triggers can increase chronic pain and anxiety. Before avoiding or eliminating these stress triggers, you need to identify them by monitoring your stress and anxiety levels throughout the day.
Keep a record of your chronic pain and anxiety in a diary. Note down when the pain changes and the kind of stress you are under. Recognizing and identifying which elements cause pain will help your doctor manage and treat it effectively.
Tip #3: Communicate Openly and Seek Professional Help
Depression can be an emotional reaction to chronic pain and patients often assume that their stress or anxiety will decrease if the pain is treated. However, there can be many causes of depression, and communicating openly will help your physician provide you with appropriate care.
Seeking professional help will allow you to get multidisciplinary care from mental health experts and physicians.
While a physician can help you understand the changes in your body that are resulting in chronic pain, a mental health expert can focus on your emotional wellbeing and monitor the symptoms of your depression.
Tip #4: Get Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy and other therapy forms such as massage therapy, shockwave therapy, and emulous laser therapy are known to be useful for chronic pain treatment and pain relief.
Consult a pain specialist at Arista Wellness Center in Katy, TX, for pain relief. Schedule an appointment to learn more about MLS laser therapy and how to manage chronic pain in the back, legs, shoulders, and more. Contact us today to get the care you deserve!