Jane Watson Physio Wahroonga

I recently completed a course on Chronic Pain at The Pain Management and Research Institute at Royal North Shore Hospital. This presented some very interesting research done in the last 10 years on chronic pain including reasons for and management of chronic pain.
Chronic pain affects 17% of males and 20% of females in NSW. Pain can persist when underlying pathology is no longer present. Current research has replaced the traditional biomedical model of pain to include the biopsychosocial model of pain. The basis for this model is that pain pathways can also be affected by psychological factors and attitudes which increase central nervous system sensitivity resulting in higher pain levels. Pain cannot always be explained or equalled to underlying pathology. Patients often spend huge amounts of time and money on unnecessary medical investigations.
Early identification of risk factors and patient education can minimise the risk of transition from acute to chronic pain. If chronic pain is correctly diagnosed an appropriate management plan can be put in place.