NEW JERSEY COPS ■ MAY 2014
75
To Your Health
Do you suffer from chronic pain?
While everyone has experienced the discomfort and
unpleasant sensations associated with pain, it’s important to
understand the difference between chronic (long-term) and
acute (quickly resolving) pain. Generally, chronic pain is ongoing or returning pain that lasts more than three to six months
and may continue for years. It can result from an acute injury
or illness and persist; it can also develop without any clear cause.
What are some of the more common chronic pain conditions?
an effort to develop new
treatments to lessen the
symptoms of chronic
pain.
Highlight Health
Why is chronic pain a
greater concern for law
enforcement officers?
Types of chronic pain include:
• Headache
• Low back pain
• Cancer-related pain
• Arthritis pain
• Nerve pain
People can also suffer from more than one kind of chronic
pain at a time.
The physical demands inherent in law enforcement work
increase the risk of injury. As you know, law enforcement officers
often have to use force when preventing various unlawful acts
and apprehending criminals, and they must respond quickly to
unpredictable emergencies. These situations can result in both
immediate and enduring physical harm to the officer.
In fact, in a study of physical injury in law enforcement officers, almost half of all surveyed police officers reported experiencing chronic pain within the last year.
How is chronic pain treated?
What can you do to prevent or offset chronic pain?
Depending on the type and severity of pain, health care
providers may recommend one treatment or a combination of
treatments over time. Common approaches include:
• Medications
• Behavior modification
• Relaxation therapy
• Psychotherapy
• Acupuncture
• Muscle stimulation
• Brain stimulation
• Surgery
If you think you have chronic pain, be sure to ask your health
care provider whether any of these approaches might help. Also
keep in mind that doctors are constantly conducting research in
Keeping physically fit can dramatically reduce your risk of
developing chronic pain. Law enforcement officers who exercise
regularly are about half as likely as those who are less active to
report chronic pain.
It’s also important to recognize the symptoms of chronic pain
and understand how you may have developed this condition.
Knowing where your pain has come from can go a long way in
helping you and your health care provider identify what steps to
take to treat or possibly reverse the pain. d
This message is sponsored in conjunction with The First
Responders Foundation.
Getting on Your Nerves:
A look at radiating arm and leg pain treatments
Dr. Kaixuan
Liu
Few things in life are worse than pain;
fewer still are worse than radiating arm and
leg pain. For many spinal patients, that pain
is not just a reality but becomes all encompassing. People put their lives on hold in fear
of that pain. They skip weddings, dodge parties, avoid work, miss family vacations and
watch life pass them by in fear of reliving that
pain.
There are 31 pairs of nerves in the human
body that originate in the spinal column.
Those nerves send signals from the spine to the brain. When
irritated, nerves send a direct transmittal to the brain, indicating, “There is something wrong here. Stop what you are
doing.” The brain interprets that signal and forces you to
stop whatever action the body cannot handle in the best
way it knows how: excruciating pain.
Typical treatments for pain
One tried and true method of managing spinal conditions
is through interventional pain management. The goal of
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