Real Age, a wonderful resource, brings us the truth about pain.
Some myths about pain debunked.
Myth #1: Pain is always a sign of an ailment or that some part of your body is hurt or damaged.
Fact: Pain sometimes travels alone.
Myth #2: Medication is the only treatment that can really relieve pain.
Fact: Pain has many enemies.
Myth #3: If OTC medication relieves your pain, it's nothing to worry about.
Fact: Pain can mean business.
Myth #4: Pain is an inevitable part of aging.
Fact: Pain hates to be ignored.
Myth #5: Only a doctor can assess your pain and determine whether it's real.
Fact: Pain is personal.
I can tell you a lot about pain. I know more about my pain than my doctor - I deal with every day. He deals with it for 15 minutes or so every couple of months. Don't ignore you pain. Pain is your body telling you something is wrong. But it doesn't mean that it can only be treated by medication.
My husband had some shoulder pain a few years ago. I told him to talk to his doctor who sent him for Xrays and then PT. He skipped the PT on the grounds that it wouldn't help. A year later he went back for a physical and the doctor sent him for PT again. Now he does not have pain.
Also, I live with the two week rule - if its not better or improving in two weeks with self care, its time to see the doctor.
Pain is an indicator of something wrong. Don't ignore it. This is why they ask you what your pain is on a scale of whatever they use when you go to the doctor.
I think I know too much about pain... But its a part of my life now.
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