Chronic Pain
What is Chronic Pain?
Pain is our body’s alarm system. It warns us when we are in actual danger or when we think we are in danger. When we injure ourselves we might feel pain as the body heals itself; this is called acute pain. When pain persists however, after the body has healed, or for longer than three months, it can be viewed as chronic. Anyone can experience chronic pain and it can happen anywhere in the body.
“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”
What Are the Causes of Chronic Pain?
Why we experience chronic pain is not always clear. Your brain is always judging if you are safe or in danger by evaluating your current experience based on your thoughts, beliefs, memories and past experiences. In chronic pain, your brain’s alarm system is turning on, and staying on, even when there is no danger. Over time, it can become even better at detecting possible danger and experiencing pain to the point that it interferes with daily life.
How is Chronic Pain Treated?
Chronic Pain Treatment
The persistence of physical pain long after the expected recovery time often contributes to the development of unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours. Persistent pain can make it more difficult to do things day-to-day, which can increase psychological distress, and even prolong the experience of pain. How chronic pain is treated depends on each individual’s experience and is often determined in collaboration with a family doctor. Physical activity, social engagement, sleep and relaxation practice, are all important pieces to managing chronic pain. Addressing frustration, fear, anger, depression, and anxiety at a chronic pain clinic in Calgary can further help manage one’s pain experience and improve overall quality of life.
Care Wherever You Are
Our team can provide virtual care services (online or over the phone) to people across Alberta who have concerns about their physical, emotional, or cognitive health.
“The attempt to escape from pain, is what creates more pain.”
Care Wherever You Are
Our team can provide virtual care services (online or over the phone) to people across Alberta who have concerns about their physical, emotional, or cognitive health.
“The attempt to escape from pain, is what creates more pain.”
Change the Way You Think About Pain
Understanding pain and challenging our perceptions and thoughts about it can help us think in an adaptive way.
Adopt Positive Ways of Coping With Pain
Learning to actively manage pain through mind-body connection can promote your psychological well-being and quality of life, and in turn alter your pain experience.
Building Tolerance for Activities
Through strategic pacing of activities and the use of active coping skills, our chronic pain clinic in Calgary can build physical and mental tolerance for increasing activity levels.
Our Approach to Chronic Pain
All pain is real because it is real and unique to the person experiencing it. Utilizing behavioural, cognitive-behavioural, acceptance and commitment interventions, and insomnia treatment (where indicated), our chronic pain treatments can help address many issues. We can help improve the psychological, physical, and social aspects of pain complexity for better well-being, functional ability, and quality of life.
