Chronic Pain

Relief from Suffering, Your Pathway Back to Living

For individuals seeking outpatient treatment for Chronic Pain, Awakenings Treatment Center provides comprehensive, individualized treatment for those suffering from complex, chronic pain syndromes, including neck and back disorders, oro-facial pain, arthritis, headaches, opiate hyperalgesia, central nervous system sensitivity, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, fibromyalgia and other musculoskeletal and rheumatic conditions. Our integrative treatment approach combines the best of neuroscience and complementary therapies to help each person move toward recovery and resilience.

People in pain frequently struggle with additional problems, such as depression, anxiety, or substance abuse. Awakening Teatment Center’s internationally recognized expert staff of professionals uses an interdisciplinary team approach. We customize both conventional and complementary, evidence-based treatments to support each individual’s unique capacity for wellness and flourishing.

Proper Treatment is Key to Combat Chronic Pain

Individuals struggling with chronic pain often do not get the proper treatment needed to help alleviate the pain they are experiencing. This results in consequences that can be detrimental to the quality of life. The emotional toll that chronic pain can take on a person can even worsen the pain and reduce the body’s production of natural painkillers. Long-standing chronic pain also suppresses the immune system, making sufferers more susceptible to developing autoimmune illnesses.

Additional problems associated with chronic pain can include fatigue, sleeplessness, and loss of enjoyment from life activities because of the need to rest. Other chronic pain sufferers may experience changes in mood, feelings of hopelessness, fear, depression, irritability, stress, and intense anxiety or even panic.

The Awakenings Team Support for Chronic Pain Treatment

Our clinical team is extremely good at reducing pain levels, and you will work on physical, mental, and spiritual components to achieve pain relief, learn techniques to manage the pain long term, and return to performing many of the tasks that you haven’t been able to do or enjoy for years.

Rather than focusing solely on physical tissue damage or the psychological effects of pain, you will receive treatment that balances each aspect of your health. And you’ll take home a comprehensive set of new skills, insights, and resources to sustain the journey of recovery that begins here.

Effective help and resolution from the symptoms and origins of Chronic Pain are available. At Awakenings Treatment Center, you can heal from the debilitating pain and the patterns you may find repeating in your daily life, emotional experiences, and all aspects of day-to-day living.

Types of Chronic Pain 

Fibromyalgia

Widespread musculoskeletal pain typically characterizes this disorder, accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood issues. It amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain processes pain signals.

Symptoms often begin after physical trauma, surgery, infection, or significant psychological stress. In other cases, symptoms gradually accumulate over time with no single identifiable, triggering event.

Women are more likely to develop fibromyalgia than men. Many people with fibromyalgia also have tension headaches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, and depression.

While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, various medications, self-care activities, and behaviors can help control symptoms. Exercise, relaxation, and stress-reduction measures may also help.

Symptoms of fibromyalgia include:

  • Widespread, diffuse pain – The pain associated with fibromyalgia is often described as a constant dull ache that has lasted at least three months. To be considered widespread, the pain must occur on both sides of your body, and above and below your waist.
  • Fatigue – People with fibromyalgia often awaken tired, even though they report sleeping for extended periods. Sleep is often troubled by pain, and many patients with fibromyalgia have other sleep disorders, such as restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea.
  • Cognitive difficulties – A symptom commonly referred to as “fibro fog” impairs the ability to focus, pay attention and concentrate on mental tasks.

Often co-exists with other painful conditions, such as:

  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Migraine and other types of headaches
  • Interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome
  • Temporomandibular joint disorders

The neuroscientific treatments provided at Awakenings significantly decrease the pain and discomfort that accompany fibromyalgia. In addition, many co-existing conditions related to fibromyalgia are successfully treated at Awakenings with intensive individual and group psychotherapies, holistic medication management, movement therapies, and anti-inflammatory nutritional therapies.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Type 1 & Type 2

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a form of chronic pain that usually affects an arm or a leg. CRPS typically develops after an injury, surgery, stroke, or heart attack. The pain is out of proportion to the severity of the initial injury.

Complex regional pain syndrome is uncommon, and its cause isn’t clearly understood. Treatment is most effective when started early. In such cases, improvement and even remission are possible.

Signs and symptoms of complex regional pain syndrome include:

  • Continuous burning or throbbing pain, usually in an arm, leg, hand, or foot
  • Sensitivity to touch and/or cold
  • Swelling of the painful area
  • Skin
    • Temperature alternates between sweaty and cold
    • Color ranges from white and mottled to red or blue
    • Texture may become tender, thin, or shiny in the affected area
  • Changes in hair and nail growth
  • Joint stiffness, swelling, and damage
  • Muscle spasms, tremors, weakness, and muscle loss (atrophy)
  • Decreased ability to move the affected body part

Chronic Pain Symptoms may change over time and vary from person to person.

Pain, swelling, redness, noticeable changes in temperature, and hypersensitivity (particularly to cold and touch) usually occur first.

Over time, the affected limb can become significantly cold and pale. It may undergo skin and nail changes, as well as muscle spasms and tightening. Once these changes occur, the condition is challenging to reverse.

Complex regional pain syndrome may spread from its original source to elsewhere in your body, such as the opposite limb. This can be confusing and frightening to the patient and his or her loved ones.

In some people, signs and symptoms of complex regional pain syndrome disappear on their own. In others, signs and symptoms may persist for months to years. Treatment is likely to be most effective when started early in the course of the illness.

Causes

The cause of complex regional pain syndrome isn’t entirely understood. It’s thought to be caused by an injury to or abnormality of the peripheral and central nervous systems. CRPS typically occurs due to a trauma or injury, although often patients with CRPS report no specific injury.

Complex regional pain syndrome occurs in two types, with similar signs and symptoms, but different causes:

Type 1

Also known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSD), this type occurs after an illness or injury that didn’t directly damage the nerves in your affected limb. About 90 percent of people with complex regional pain syndrome have type 1.

Type 2

Once referred to as causalgia, this type has similar symptoms to type 1. But type 2 complex regional pain syndrome follows a distinct, specific nerve injury.

Many cases of complex regional pain syndrome occur after a forceful trauma to an arm or a leg. This can include a crushing injury, fracture, or amputation.

Other major and minor traumas — such as surgery, infections, and even sprained ankles — can also lead to complex regional pain syndrome.

It’s not well-understood why these injuries can trigger complex regional pain syndrome. Of course, not everyone with such an injury will develop complex regional pain syndrome. It might be due to a dysfunctional interaction between an individual’s central and peripheral nervous systems and inappropriate inflammatory responses.

Complications of Chronic Pain

If complex regional pain syndrome isn’t diagnosed and treated early, the disease may progress to more disabling signs and symptoms. These may include:

  • Tissue wasting (atrophy). Skin, bones, and muscles may begin to deteriorate and weaken if a patient avoids or has difficulty moving an arm or leg because of pain or stiffness.
  • Muscle tightening (contracture). One may also experience tightening of muscles. This may lead to a condition in which your hand and fingers or your foot and toes contract into a fixed position, causing intense discomfort.

Successful, Sustainable Treatment for CRPS

Despite the alarming nature of the debilitating symptoms of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, effective treatment is possible. Calming the peripheral and central nervous system of an afflicted individual, while strengthening and increasing the flexibility of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that may have atrophied, is the holistic treatment relief provided at Awakenings Treatment Center. Clients are set up with a delicious anti-inflammatory meal plan tailored to their nutritional preferences.

Call Awakenings today – stop the progression of pain and disability before it goes any further:
855-717-3268