{"id":67196,"date":"2023-02-14T14:30:59","date_gmt":"2023-02-14T21:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=67196"},"modified":"2023-06-23T09:10:39","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T15:10:39","slug":"mental-health-and-chronic-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/mental-health-and-chronic-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental health’s role in chronic pain"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Understanding the relationship between mental health plays and chronic pain is important. Source: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chronic pain can be a devastating condition. But with an integrative approach involving physical and behavioral health treatments, people can find relief.<\/p>\n

Amy Goodwin, a licensed professional counselor and behavioral health counselor at UCHealth Behavioral Health Clinic in Steamboat Springs<\/a>, describes how behavioral health is an important part of treating chronic pain.<\/p>\n

Calming down overactive nerves that message the pain<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When treating chronic pain, it\u2019s important first to calm down overactive nerves that continually message there\u2019s pain, even after the injury or illness has healed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a physical issue, in that the nerves are on and hyper-firing, but the off-switch is still in the brain,\u201d Goodwin said.<\/p>\n

Interventional procedures can help disrupt the hyperactive nerve so that further treatments \u2013 such as physical therapy, meditation, massage and acupuncture \u2013 can help.<\/p>\n

Quieting the mind and central nervous system<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When the brain no longer receives constant signals of pain, behavioral health treatments come into play.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my job to take advantage of that so people can enhance their physical functioning by quieting their mind and their central nervous system,\u201d Goodwin said.<\/p>\n

Patients are invited to choose behaviors that help their overall health and functioning: for instance, following a healthy diet and committing to regular exercise.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more people are building muscle and maintaining a certain level of health, the better their body can recover,\u201d Goodwin said.<\/p>\n

And Goodwin helps patients identify how their pain affects their overall thoughts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we have a pain response turned on in our body, we increase our brain\u2019s focus on other worrisome issues and ideas,\u201d Goodwin said.<\/p>\n

The importance of thought patterns in chronic pain<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Slowly, patients are able to think about their situation in a more positive or accepting way.<\/p>\n

For instance, if someone struggles to be at the same physical level they were before their injury or illness, they can learn to accept their functional level at that moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to accept where we are and be mindful of that instead of being in a rush to get back to where things were before the accident or surgery,\u201d Goodwin said.<\/p>\n

Goodwin can also help patients identify and address beliefs that may be preventing healing and recovery. That includes \u2018all or nothing\u2019 thinking, such as, \u2018If I can\u2019t be a top athlete, then it\u2019s not worth it to do anything,\u2019 which can create a sense of defeat or helplessness and undermine recovery.<\/p>\n

Dispelling pain myths<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Though we feel pain in our physical bodies, pain itself isn\u2019t just a physical issue. \u201cPain is always an interplay between the injury and the body and brain\u2019s interpretation of the injury,\u201d Goodwin said. \u201cIt\u2019s like a dialogue between the brain and body. It\u2019s not just in your head, but it\u2019s not just in your body.\u201d<\/p>\n

And even with treatment, chronic pain may not simply go away.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur pain awareness is not like an on\/off switch \u2013 it\u2019s like a dimmer dial,\u201d Goodwin said. \u201cWe might never be able to turn pain off entirely, but we can teach people strategies to dim it.\u201d<\/p>\n

When to seek help for pain<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A lot of healing can occur within three to six months of an injury or illness. But if there isn\u2019t substantial change after that, people should get help.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf people are starting to experience chronic pain, the quicker they respond by getting the support and information they need, the better their outcomes,\u201d Goodwin said.<\/p>\n

And remember that the stress and isolation resulting from efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 can make this time especially challenging for people with chronic pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnxiety can escalate pain. Social isolation can escalate pain. Lack of opportunities to exercise and recreate can escalate pain,\u201d Goodwin said. \u201cIt\u2019s more important than ever for people to seek help when needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story first appeared in the Steamboat Pilot.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chronic pain can be a devastating condition. But with an integrative approach involving physical and behavioral health treatments, people can find relief. Amy Goodwin, a licensed professional counselor and behavioral health counselor at UCHealth Behavioral Health Clinic in Steamboat Springs, describes how behavioral health is an important part of treating chronic pain. Calming down overactive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2163,"featured_media":67426,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[113,65,9187,130],"class_list":["post-67196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-behavioral-health","tag-pain-care-and-management","tag-readysetco","tag-rehabilitation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMental health's role in chronic pain - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mental health plays an important part in treating chronic pain. 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