Dr Geraldine Borman
Structuring your own management of pain (STOMP) is a program developed by Dr. Gordon Irving and his staff at the Swedish Pain and Headache Centre. It is a useful resource for taking charge of your own pain management to promote a healthy lifestyle, reduce your pain and improve your daily functioning. With the program, you start by setting small, realistic goals to do things to improve your overall wellbeing. Gradually you build healthy habits that will support you in improving your quality of life and alleviating your pain.
LEARN ABOUT PAIN
Your perception of pain can change your experience of the pain. By learning about your pain, where it comes from and why it is there, you can alleviate your anxiety regarding your pain. It does not need to be something scary. Understanding your pain will help to reduce it.
SLEEP
Insomnia can lead to increased pain sensitivity and new-onset pain. Getting good quality sleep is very important in managing your pain effectively. There are many habits to help improve your sleep – these habits are called “sleep hygiene”.
CALMING THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
Chronic pain may be partially or completely due to a phenomenon known as central sensitization, and is not necessarily associated with tissue damage. Through education, meditation, relaxation, psychological interventions and changing your environment – you can reduce your pain by addressing the sensitization.
CARING FOR YOUR BODY
What you eat can affect what you feel. Some foods can promote inflammation in the body and worsen your pain. By ensuring a healthy diet and healthy weight, you are promoting your general wellbeing – it will improve your sleep, your mood, and your pain.
An important habit to break is smoking – smoking makes pain worse.
Movement is essential in chronic pain management. If you have pain and you do not move enough, your body will become stiff and more painful. Additionally you will get atrophy of your muscles and become weaker. The result of inactivity is more pain and worsening of your physical condition. However, if you start exercising, you strengthen your body and improve your pain control.
COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES
Meditation, yoga, art, music, nutrition, massage, reflexology, chiropractic care, tai Chi, acupuncture – the world is full of complementary therapies. Try different ones until you find the perfect one for you.
MEDICATIONS FOR PAIN
If you have chronic pain, then traditional painkillers will not take away all your pain. It is therefore important to combine medical treatment with all the other lifestyle changes to reduce your pain as much as possible. Sometimes medications such as antidepressants and anticonvulsants are useful in pain management, since they can actively calm your nervous system and help to reverse the process of central sensitisation.
Key points to remember:
- It is important for you to take charge of your own pain management
- There are many small habits you can learn to help alleviate your pain – together, they make a big difference
- You can live your life fully, even if you have pain – do not let the fear of pain keep you from the joy of life