We often hear: "Patients must self-manage their chronic pain." And sure, that makes sense in theory — they live with it day in, day out. But in practice, who teaches them?
Guidelines for chronic pain care emphasize patient self-management. Cognitive-behavioral tools, pacing, sleep hygiene, stress reduction, gentle movement, etc. Who teaches patients how to do these? Patients turn back to their physician yet physicians aren't always equipped.
A vulnerable, often overlooked population with chronic pain is children. A child's chronic pain is a diagnostic puzzle, frequently dismissed as "growing pains" or anxiety.
Pain is a symptom. One of the most difficult and isolating parts of living with chronic pain is the fight to get an accurate diagnosis.
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