A different approach to chronic pain

DEPICTING CHRONIC PAIN: Chronic pain is the subject of the upcoming movie, Cake, starring Jennifer Aniston.

Chronic pain affects more people than cancer, diabetes, heart attack and stroke combined. It's estimated there are more than 100 million sufferers in the United States, costing the nation as much as $NZ816 billion a year in medical treatment and lost productivity.

Nearly one in five New Zealand adults experience chronic pain, according to the New Zealand Health Survey's 2013/14 findings. The survey found rates of chronic pain increase with age, affecting around a third of adults aged 75 and over.

The condition is even the focus of an upcoming movie, Cake, starring Jennifer Anniston as a woman struggling with chronic pain.

Chronic pain can be devastating, and a challenge to treat. As a mental health counsellor, I have seen it damage productive lives and tear families apart.

Pain sufferers often are misdiagnosed, misunderstood and miserable. Their friends and family can become worn out from listening to complaints. Their identities may be significantly altered because they cannot engage in activities they once enjoyed. Doctors get frustrated by the inability to provide a cure.

I have worked with people who had full, rich lives as corporate leaders, mothers, athletes and professors before their chronic pain. However, by the time I saw them they were isolated, over-medicated and depressed, and they believed their life was devoid of meaning.

Read more: No snake-oil quick fix can cure my pain

A DIFFERENT APPROACH CAN HELP

The good news is that chronic pain is treatable with the right blend of approaches. The traditional healing model take medications, rest, get better doesn't work with this illness. But there are ways to reduce pain and rebuild yourself.

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A different approach to chronic pain