Why is pain management important

Opioid pain medicines such as morphine, oxycodone and codeine — commonly cause drowsiness, confusion, falls, nausea, vomiting and constipation. They can also reduce physical coordination and balance. Importantly, these medicines can lead to dependence and slow down breathing, resulting in accidental fatal overdose. Precautions when taking pain medicines Treat over-the-counter pain medicines with caution, just like any other medicines.

Take care if you are elderly or caring for an older person. Older people have an increased risk of side effects. For example, taking aspirin regularly for chronic pain such as arthritis can cause a dangerous bleeding stomach ulcer.

When buying over-the-counter pain medicines, speak with a pharmacist about any prescription and complementary medicines you are taking so they can help you choose a pain medicine that is safe for you.

It is easier than you think to unintentionally take an overdose. See your doctor or healthcare professional for proper treatment for sport injuries. Consult your doctor or pharmacist before using any over-the-counter medicine if you have a chronic ongoing physical condition, such as heart disease or diabetes.

Managing pain that cannot be easily relieved Sometimes pain will persist and cannot be easily relieved. Here are some suggestions for how to handle persistent pain: Focus on improving your day-to-day function, rather than completely stopping the pain.

Accept that your pain may not go away and that flare-ups may occur. Talk yourself through these times. Find out as much as you can about your condition so that you don't fret or worry unnecessarily about the pain. Enlist the support of family and friends. Let them know what support you need; find ways to stay in touch. Take steps to prevent or ease depression by any means that work for you, including talking to friends or professionals. Increasing your dose may not help your pain and might cause you harm.

Improve your physical fitness, eat healthy foods and make sure you get all the rest you need. Try not to allow the pain to stop you living your life the way you want to. Try gently reintroducing activities that you used to enjoy. You may need to cut back on some activities if pain flare-ups occur, but increase slowly again as you did before. Concentrate on finding fun and rewarding activities that don't make your pain worse.

Seek advice on new coping strategies and skills from a healthcare professional such as a psychologist. Pain: what is going on? Pain and how you sense it , myDr. Overview of pain , , MSD manual — Consumer version. Painful facts , Pain Australia. Local anaesthetic , , Queensland Government. Give feedback about this page. Was this page helpful? Yes No.

View all pain and pain management. Related information. From other websites Chronic Pain Association of Australia. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. What is pain? Pain management while in hospital You can help hospital staff to manage your pain Techniques to manage pain in hospital Pain relief after you leave hospital Where to get help.

A person may describe pain by: how strong pain feels such as dull or intense the nature of the pain such as an aching feeling or a sharp pain by location where you feel the pain in your body an emotional response such as unpleasantness, fear, exhaustion, frustration or anxiety its impact on aspects of daily life such as getting dressed, mood disturbance, social relationships and leisure activities.

Pain management while in hospital People in hospital may experience discomfort or acute pain as a result of surgery or some procedures. Tell hospital staff if you feel any pain and: where the pain is how strong the pain is the type of pain you have for example, aching, throbbing, stabbing the activities that make the pain better or worse how the pain affects your daily activities for example, your appetite, sleep, mood, ability to move around.

Techniques to manage pain in hospital Ask staff for information on ways to help reduce pain. Treatments for pain usually include both medication and other therapies, such as: gentle exercise applying heat or cold packs manual therapies for example, physiotherapy or massage relaxation.

Pain relief after you leave hospital If you are prescribed pain-relieving medication to take after leaving hospital, be aware that there are some common side effects, which can include: reduced alertness constipation. Give feedback about this page. Was this page helpful? Yes No. View all hospitals, surgery and procedures. Related information. Content disclaimer Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Reviewed on: This article has been double-blind peer reviewed Scroll down to read the article or download a print-friendly PDF here Click here to see other articles in this series.

Box 1. Signs of pain Behavioural signs Verbalisation crying out, crying, sobbing Agitation, restlessness Abnormal stillness, rocking, writhing Facial expression tense, grimace, distorted Position guarding, curled, holding tightly Physiological signs Increased respiratory rate Increased heart rate Increased blood pressure Pallor Sweating Nausea Vomiting.

Box 2. Also in this series Pain management 1: physiology - how the body detects pain stimuli Pain management 2: transmission of pain signals to the brain. Althaus A et al Distinguishing between pain intensity and pain resolution: using acute post-surgical pain trajectories to predict chronic post-surgical pain. European Journal of Pain; 4, Borge CR et al Pain and quality of life with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Boscariol R et al Chronobiological characteristics of postoperative pain: diurnal variation of both static and dynamic pain and effects of analgesic therapy.

Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia; 9, Buenaver LF et al Pain-related catastrophizing and perceived social responses: Inter-relationships in the context of chronic pain. Pain ; 3, Buttgereit F How should impaired morning function in rheumatoid arthritis be treated? Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology, Supplement; Cutolo M et al Circadian rhythms: glucocorticoids and arthritis.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences; Dobratz MC Word choices of advanced cancer patients: frequency of nociceptive and neuropathic pain. Eccleston C et al Psychological approaches to chronic pain management: evidence and challenges. British Journal of Anaesthesia; 1, Journal of Pain; 3, Fishbain DA et al A structured evidence-based review on the meaning of nonorganic physical signs: Waddell signs. Pain Medicine; 4: 2, Gilron I et al Chronobiological characteristics of neuropathic pain: clinical predictors of diurnal pain rhythmicity.

Clinical Journal of Pain; 9, Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine; 3, London: Churchill Livingstone. Izumi M et al Pain referral and regional deep tissue hyperalgesia in experimental human hip pain models. Pain ; 4, Lancet Neurology; 9, Jerlock M et al Living with unexplained chest pain. Journal of Clinical Nursing; 8, Kaasalainen S et al A comparison between behavioral and verbal report pain assessment tools for use with residents in long term care.

Pain Management Nursing; 4, e Konstantinou K et al Development of an assessment schedule for patients with low back-associated leg pain in primary care: a Delphi consensus study. European Spine Journal; 7, Leadley RM et al Healthy aging in relation to chronic pain and quality of life in Europe.

Pain Practice; 6, Lee JS et al Clinically important change in the visual analog scale after adequate pain control. Academic Emergency Medicine; 10, Pain Management Nursing; 2, Lin CP et al Frequency of chronic pain descriptors: implications for assessment of pain quality.

Great care will be taken to treat pain but keep the patient alert enough to talk with family. In hospice, pain management is done carefully to prevent problems. The healthcare provider will explain the possible side effects of the medicine. These may include constipation, itching, nausea, vomiting, extreme tiredness, or mental fuzziness. Most of these go away after a short time. These symptoms will be treated. There are other ways to help relieve pain.

These can be used along with pain medicine. Ask the hospice team about:. Telling the hospice team when you are in pain. Being clear about your pain makes it easier for the team to treat it. Keeping a pain log. Write down when you feel pain and how strong it is.

And write down what medicines you took. This helps the hospice team adjust the medicine as needed. Taking the medicine as directed. Pain is harder to control if you wait too long to take the medicine.

And you may end up needing a higher dose. It may be hard for you to understand how your loved one feels. But the pain he or she has is real.