Describe three strategies used to manage chronic pain. State appropriate applications for each approach.

What will be an ideal response?


Students' answers may vary.

The answer should include any three of the following pain-management approaches:

Medication: Painkilling drugs are the most popular treatment in fighting pain. Some medications treat the source of the pain, such as reducing swelling in painful joints; others work on the symptoms. Recent innovations include pumping pain medication directly into the spinal cord.

Nerve and brain stimulation: A low-voltage electric current is passed through the pain-afflicted body part; in other cases, electrodes may be planted into the brain, or a handheld battery pack can stimulate nerve cells to provide direct relief.

Light therapy: It involves exposure to specific wavelengths of red or infrared light. Certain kinds of light facilitate the production of enzymes that promote healing.

Hypnosis: For people who can be hypnotized, hypnosis can greatly relieve pain. It can affect the brain and spinal-cord functioning in injured people, actually improving their physical functioning.

Biofeedback and relaxation techniques: Using biofeedback, people learn to control what are usually involuntary functions such as heartbeat, respiration, blood pressure, and muscle tension.

Surgery: In one of the most extreme methods, nerve fibers that carry pain messages to the brain can be cut surgically. Still, because of the danger that other bodily functions will be affected, surgery is a treatment of last resort.

Cognitive restructuring: It is used to promote more positive self-talk and helps people increase their sense of control over their pain.

Mirror pain therapy: It is used to treat people with phantom-limb pain. By using a mirror to make it appear that both limbs are intact, the brain of the amputee stops sending messages perceived as pain.

Psychology

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What will be an ideal response?

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