When should I seek help for my pain?

You may find your pain to be too difficult to live with day in and day out; however, you may know someone else in similar pain who copes for years without treatment. Everyone feels pain differently. It is important that one does not gauge their own level of pain against the experiences of others, but rather decide for themselves whether or not their pain is tolerable. If you experience one or a combination of the following, it may be time to seek help:

• Pain that lasts longer than 4-6 weeks after an injury or illness
• Pain for which you cannot reason the source
• Unusual increase in moodiness or irritability over things that formerly weren’t bothersome
• Insomnia or any inability to sleep due to pain
• “Crashing fatigue” (where you are fine one minute and then so tired the next that you are barely able to move and stay awake) or any feeling of tiredness more than your normal amount
• Muscle aches and stiffness lasting longer than normal (just a few days)

Upon initial consultation with one of our pain management physicians, be sure to convey your symptoms in a confident manner. When you take your acute or chronic pain seriously, our physicians make helping you find pain relief a priority.