When Pain No Longer Controls The Day
Sometimes progress happens so gradually that you don’t notice it right away. Then one day you realize you haven’t reached for your pain patch. You’re able to stay active longer. Or you look at the clock and realize you’ve slept for hours without waking. This happened to a patient who came in for acupuncture to help with chronic neck and back pain - which was inferring with everyday life. The pain was fairly manageable while resting, but walking and physical activity caused it to increase. The patient relied on pain-relieving patches daily to stay functional and could typically walk for only about 10 minutes before needing to stop and rest. Sleep was another challenge, with frequent waking throughout the night and only a few hours of uninterrupted sleep at a time.