Chronic pain success stories - Please share

[Anonymous]

I am trying to battle my way out of chronic pain. I can’t even get a diagnosis that doctors can agree on. Meanwhile, I have tried many things to help.

If you have had success with your chronic pain, can you share your story. What did you have? How have you been able to manage it? What types of things have been successful?

[Anonymous]

What kind of pain?

[Anonymous]

I’m just looking for ideas and success stories. Any Pain location.

[Anonymous]

Acupuncture and learning distraction techniques. Also learning how to respond when a flare starts. I used to power through the first signs of a flare and it just made it worse. I don't get flares often now and since the acupuncture, I'm at a 2-3/10 most days. But forcing myself to take it easy when the pain starts to creep up to a 5 or 6 means I very rarely get up to a 9 or 10 anymore. I also told myself it isn't a badge of honor to have a high pain tolerance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Acupuncture and learning distraction techniques. Also learning how to respond when a flare starts. I used to power through the first signs of a flare and it just made it worse. I don't get flares often now and since the acupuncture, I'm at a 2-3/10 most days. But forcing myself to take it easy when the pain starts to creep up to a 5 or 6 means I very rarely get up to a 9 or 10 anymore. I also told myself it isn't a badge of honor to have a high pain tolerance.

Thanks. Good advice. Who do you see for acupuncture?

[Anonymous]

I had horrible sciatica and lower back pain. A microdiscectomy cured it.

[Anonymous]

Dry needling and strengthening with a physical therapist

[Anonymous]

Back pain from anklyosing spondylitis. Biologics helped with the immune response, but i still had lingering pain. Did yoga, pain-focused psychotherapy with pain reprocessing therapy. Basically focuses on starting to recognize the pain as a signal, one that’s kind of stuck on, but no longer indicative of active threat or a biological cause. You can also ask a provider about similar mindfulness strategies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Back pain from anklyosing spondylitis. Biologics helped with the immune response, but i still had lingering pain. Did yoga, pain-focused psychotherapy with pain reprocessing therapy. Basically focuses on starting to recognize the pain as a signal, one that’s kind of stuck on, but no longer indicative of active threat or a biological cause. You can also ask a provider about similar mindfulness strategies.

What biological ended up working for you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dry needling and strengthening with a physical therapist

Second dry needling. It's fixed nearly every issue I've had. I had to move onto Prolotherapy for stubborn hamstring pain that would not go away. 3 rounds of prolo and it's basically gone.

[Anonymous]

I stopped going to doctors and physical therapists because it was not helping and was often frustrating and depressing because sometimes they made things worse and sometimes the doctors were mean or dismissive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dry needling and strengthening with a physical therapist

Second dry needling. It's fixed nearly every issue I've had. I had to move onto Prolotherapy for stubborn hamstring pain that would not go away. 3 rounds of prolo and it's basically gone.

Who did your dry needling and prolotherapy?

[Anonymous]

Sciatica -- started in pregnancy, seemed to get better, then got much worse and I got to the point where I thought I'd have to live with it forever. Then I got a new ortho (Centers for Advanced Orthopedics in DC, if you are looking) and saw their in-house PT. My doctor put me on an anti-inflammatory instead of pain medication (Celebrex) and the PT started working on opening up space in my hips for the nerves. I was super skeptical but it worked and now I don't even need the anti-inflammatories. I do think about inflammation when it comes to my diet now, and avoid certain foods -- I don't know if it helps but it can't hurt. I have flare ups now and again but I can generally address with PT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sciatica -- started in pregnancy, seemed to get better, then got much worse and I got to the point where I thought I'd have to live with it forever. Then I got a new ortho (Centers for Advanced Orthopedics in DC, if you are looking) and saw their in-house PT. My doctor put me on an anti-inflammatory instead of pain medication (Celebrex) and the PT started working on opening up space in my hips for the nerves. I was super skeptical but it worked and now I don't even need the anti-inflammatories. I do think about inflammation when it comes to my diet now, and avoid certain foods -- I don't know if it helps but it can't hurt. I have flare ups now and again but I can generally address with PT.

Wow thanks for sharing, not OP but I developed sciatica with pregnancy too and it’s persisted with flare ups and continued pain if I’m in the wrong position for too long. I thought it was related to aging. Will look into PT again.

[Anonymous]

I know someone who did a month or so at the Mayo Clinic’s pain center in Arizona to retrain their brain. It sounds like it helped them.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/pain-rehabilitation-center/sections/overview/ovc-20481691