Life with MS
by Dawn Bornemann
February 22, 2019
And then there's pain
My constant companion
I used to say,
"Take it one day at a time."
What good is that
When I know that tomorrow
Will be just as full
of pain as is today?
I wish I could remember
all the things I've tried
to get rid of this constant
never ending PAIN in my legs.
I guess I don't really
as that was just more disappointment.
When you have Multiple Sclerosis,
it's a life sentence of pain.
The medical system offers only
more and more drugs without hope.
The alternative world offers
at best pain control.
When your immune system
attacks
the coatings on your nerves
there is no protection from pain
as the nerves rub against each other.
It's a lifetime of pain
That is my sentence without hope
So I search for ways
to reduce the pain
Anything to get away
from constant pain
THIRTY YEARS
OF PAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, as I am attempting to deal with all of this pain this morning, I decided to see if there was any advice on Google on how to minimize this pain. I read a number of articles on the affects of cold weather on increasing pain. It seems that it's not just the cold but the barometric changes that may play a role on increased pain.
In addition to that, increased stress is probably a factor plus not enough sleep. Well, let me share the best article I found on this.
Every article I read agreed, though, that if you live in a cold climate and have lots of pain keeping warm will certainly help. So here's to warm beverages; heating pads (NOT ICE); layered clothing; soaks in the tub; and SOUP. Did I mention horseradish?
Keep warm my friends,
Dawn
Colder Weather Increases Pain Symptoms
By Dr. Sender Deutsch
Published on November 14, 2014
Pain caused by cold weather
and weather changes can sometimes be the culprit of our pain. In our practice, we find that many patients will complain of increased pain during times of weather changes, as there is a direct affect on the barometric pressure (atmospheric pressure).
Research has shown that changes in temperature and barometric pressures can increase stiffness in joints, sensitize nerve endings and can influence mood changes in some people, indirectly increasing pain perception (verges et all, 2004). That could be why chronic pain sufferers often feel much worse with damper, colder weather as the season changes into fall and winter.
It is normal to feel this increase in pain sensitivity, as our bodies are adapting to stay warm and cope with the decrease in barometric pressure causing our joints and areas that are injured to swell. This causes inflammation resulting in pain.
Chronic migraine, back pain, and arthritic patients prefer the heat as the warmer, dryer weather promotes blood flow, increased circulation and barometric pressure on our bodies preventing swelling, which helps reduce pain. High pressure tends to help and low pressure tends to hinder our bodies causing more pain.
Arthritis, chronic inflammation of a joint, is often accompanied by structural changes. These changes decrease the amount of space we have between our joints, thus; when there is an increase in pressure from the weather, bones begin to rub on each other causing cartilage tissue irritation, an inflammatory reaction and nerve pain.
Chronic pain sufferers already have what is termed “central sensitization” or a heightened sensitivity to pain, therefore even slight changes in environmental pressure, can cause significantly more pain. Cold weather causes stiffness, muscle tightness and our joints to become more irritated. Postural positions will change to rounding and lifting of the shoulders, and lowering of the head, in order to try to conserve heat. This indirectly causes rounding of the spine, neck tension and neural tension, which will promote pain.
Slow changes in weather patterns make it easier for our bodies to adapt. The extreme changes in Toronto’s weather this past year has caused chronic pain and migraine sufferers to have an overload of sensory nerve impulses into their brain, causing headaches and more pain in our joints
Our goal as therapists is to decrease the neural and tissue tension on the body in order to help control the pain. However; not every patient is going to be the same. One thing we know for sure is that pain is perceived by the brain. Sometimes, our nerve firing patterns can be disturbed and signals amplified causing migraines, headaches and joint pain.
Ways to Combat Pain Associated With Weather and Barometric Pressure Changes:
1. Dress warm and use dry fit clothing as base layers to keep the body warm just as athletes do to enhance performance
2. Use heat to promote the feeling of warmth
3. Wear compression clothing such as compression socks or neoprene sleeve around a sensitive joint to help reduce expansion of soft tissues and joints
4. Meditation and breathing exercises to increase tissue perfusion and reduce stress
5. Exercise therapy that is pain free to increase motion and synovial fluid to help lubricate the joints
6. Hot water pool therapy again to increase blood flow and circulation and unload the joints
7. Stretching session to increase pliability of tissues and reduce soft tissue compression
8. Physical therapy techniques to reduce swelling (e.g. acupuncture, electrical muscle stimulation, TENS, etc.)
9. Manual therapy to alter sensory input
10. Massage therapy to decrease inflammation, increase lymphatic drainage and promote circulation
