• Pain: The International Association for the Study of Pain calls pain “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage”.

Now that you know the definition for pain, let’s classify the two types of pain to better understand which type you may have.

• Acute Pain: The Harvard Medical Dictionary defines it as “Severe pain that occurs suddenly and usually lasts a short while.” Many doctors classify pain as acute when pain last less than 30 days.
• Chronic Pain:  Wikipedia defines it as “pain that has lasted for a long time,” or “pain that extends beyond the expected period of healing.” The two most commonly used markers doctors use to determine if pain is passing from acute to chronic is between 3 to 6 months since onset.

Now that you understand the difference between acute pain and chronic pain, let’s review other ways to classify pain by the kind of damage that causes it.

• Tissue Damage: Also called nociceptive pain, The Richeimer Pain Medical Group states “Nociceptors are the nerves which sense and respond to parts of the body which suffer from damage.” This type of pain can occur from “sprains, bone fractures, burns, bumps, bruises, inflammation, obstructions, and myofascial pain.”
• Nerve Damage: Also called neuropathic pain, Medicine Net states that Neuropathic pain “results from injury to the nervous system.” This type of pain “can occur after trauma or because of many diseases such as multiple sclerosis and stroke.”
• Psychogenic pain: Web MD states that “Psychogenic pain most often has a physical origin either in tissue damage or nerve damage, but the pain caused by that damage is increased or prolonged by such factors as fear, depression, stress, or anxiety. In some cases, pain originates from a psychological condition.”

Properly classifying your pain, while not a diagnosis of what is causing your pain, is always helpful in determining if pain management can be an option for you.   Your next step should be to visit with a trained pain management doctor to see how they can help ease your pain.

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How many times have you heard the term “pain in the neck?” You’ve probably heard it more times than you care to remember. With this term being used so much, it’s only emphasizes the fact that millions of people are affected by neck pain every day.  To add insult to injury, throw in morning stiffness and it creates a never ending recipe for chronic neck pain.  Studies have shown that developing increased strength and flexibility in the neck can help decrease chronic neck pain.  Listed below are 6 basic neck exercises that are designed to restore flexibility to the joints and muscles of the neck. Before trying these exercises always consult your DC to see if they are safe for you to try.

With a doctors approval these exercises can generally be performed 3 times per day as long as they do not cause or increase your chronic neck pain.  If you or a loved one lives in the DFW area is experiencing Chronic neck pain and would like to see if you are healthy enough to perform these exercises, contact WOLMED and set up an appointment that can help get rid of your pain in the neck.

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It is estimated that more than 80 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. The pain does not go away, but there are Doctors that can provide treatment and things that can be done at home to manage the pain.

Valentine’s Day is just one day out of the year, but here are some tips that can make that day extra special for someone that suffers from chronic pain in your life.

1. The healing power of touch is well documented. Offer your spouse or significant other a nice back and shoulder massage, and if you are lucky enough, they will offer a massage back.

2. Everyone goes out to eat on Valentine’s Day, and one of the top complaints about restaurants is that they are very uncomfortable. That uncomfortable feeling can be much worse for someone that suffers from chronic pain. Instead of going out, stay in and make a balanced meal and you won’t have to sit in those painful restaurant booths.

3. People that suffer from chronic pain, whether it be from a car accident or work related injury, deal with it every day and sometimes they just need a break from the pain. So after dinner, shut off the TV and the cell phones and sit down and just talk with them. Truly listen and engage them in a conversation about their day and about their pain, and just ask them how you can make their life easier. This sends a clear message: I care about you and I want to ease your suffering.

4. Lavender is an herb that is said to assist in pain relief. So during your talk, make sure to include a nice glass of lavender tea, and this will assist in relieving pain and stress.

5. Because it is Valentine’s Day, chocolate has to be involved somehow. Offer your valentine some good chocolates, or the both of you can share a decadent dessert.

If you or a loved one is experiencing chronic pain in the DFW area and would like to schedule treatment, visit www.wolmed.com to make an appointment. WOLMED is a CARF certified full serviced Pain Management Clinic with locations to better serve you in Dallas and Denton.

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We’ve all heard it before, often accompanied by a tone of irritation: “what a pain in the neck.” Analogies and phrases like this are always used to describe something very unpleasant, because neck pain is just that – unpleasant. The degree of discomfort may always vary based on the type of injury from simply sleeping in an awkward position to sprains or even because of chronic neck pain from the result of an accident.

With so many theories floating around about back & neck pain it can often be confusing on what to do, but a recent study done by the Annals of Internal Medicine simply suggests that visits to a chiropractor and regular exercise can help alleviate neck pain the best. It also suggests that this is a better solution to relieving the pain over time than common over the counter medications such as ibuprofen and aspirin. While visits to a chiropractor and regular exercise may work in some cases, stronger medications and pain relievers may be needed in more severe cases. This of course depends on the severity of the pain, and is left to the discretion of a pain management doctor to decide.

Whether you need a pain management doctor, or a facility that provides physical therapy, it’s always helpful to find a doctor that can provide both. So if you or a loved one is experiencing back and neck pain and you live in the DFW area, contact WOLMED the Back and Neck specialist and see how we can help you fix your pain in the neck.

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With nearly 80 million people in the United States suffering from some form of Chronic Pain, it’s easy to assume that many people lose sleep due to pain.  In fact the National Sleep Foundation says that two out of three people with chronic pain have trouble sleeping at night.  Since an essential part of managing chronic pain is sleep, it starts a vicious cycle that makes recovering from chronic pain more difficult.  Since there is no cure, aside from sleep, exercise, time and proper medication dosage that helps with chronic pain, we have decided to post what real patients are saying helped them sleep better when dealing with their pain.  Listed below are real quotes pain sufferers have given on how they sleep better when dealing with chronic pain.

“I sleep great most nights thanks to our Sleep Number bed, a muscle relaxer that I take right before going to bed, and sleeping with CPAP to correct my sleep apnea.”

“I sleep on my side with a pillow between my legs. I also have a pillow to keep my arm level with my shoulders and I make sure the pillow I place under my head is tucked underneath neck between my ear and shoulder. I sleep this way religiously and it has helped align my spine such that I wake up in less pain. “

“Currently i use Flexeril, restoril, percocet 10mg, & tramadol and only get 5-6 hours of rest.”

“Ah sleep….what’s that? I had Restoril and from another doc Ambien, both of which helped, however my current doc will not order anything for me.”

“I’m not able to take ANY pain medications due to allergies, so I just have to live with it.” “Some nights it seems as though I’m up more than I’m down, but so far God has helped me continue to function. It really does help me to reach out to other people and identify with their pain and suffering!”

Do you deal with chronic back and neck pain that makes it hard to sleep?  If so, please respond to this article and leave your feedback and let others know how you are dealing with your chronic pain so you can sleep better. For more information on pain management, or to make an appointment to evaluate your pain, please visit http://www.wolmed.com.

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There are different variations of rehab facilities. For example CARF Pain Management assists patients with severe work injuries requiring intensive rehabilitation and therapy, medications, surgeries, or injections. It provides treatments found in the work hardening program.  When you visit WOL+MED in Texas you will find a CARF Certification on the wall of each facility. This is proof they have maintained and upholder required standards. Each facility must maintain standards for an ongoing process, which allows the patient to understand they are committed to improving their standards and services for the best interest of all patients.

Next time you find yourself, a friend, or a family member in need of Rehabilitation for Chronic Pain Management, Back and Neck Pain, Workers Injury, and etc, always looks for the CARF Accreditation.  When your doctor is striving to maintain high standards in their facility, you can be assured they are looking out for your best interest. CARF facilities are committed to quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services and enhancing and bettering each patient that enters their facility.

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WOL+MED offers CARF Accredited Pain Management for patients who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.  Pain Management offers a wide variety of treatments including physiotherapy, biofeedback, relaxation training, heat / cold, ultrasound, and others.  Cardiovascular training is used as part of the physiotherapy routine, as it has been found to have great benefits for people with RA.  Some people find it difficult to cope with the everyday pain and stress associated with RA.  So, WOL+MED’s pain management program also incorporates group and individualized counseling and education to assist in those areas.

If you do just a small amount of research on the subject, you will find that places like WebMD, arthritis organizations, and women’s groups recommend pain management similar to the program offered at WOL+MED.  WOL+MED’s CARF Pain Management program has an 85% success rate and achieves greater than 95% in its satisfaction scores.  CARF is the “gold standard” in rehabilitation, and WOL+MED has had that certification for 7 straight years and has just received it’s 3rd consecutive maximum CARF accreditation for pain management.

If you or someone you love is suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis, they should definitely seek treatment from a medical doctor who specializes in RA.  As part of a complete treatment plan, ask your doctor to refer you to WOL+MED Medical in Denton and Dallas, TX for the CARF Pain Management program.  We want to help you live a happy life with the ability to manage your RA symptoms.

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20% of adults said that pain interrupted their sleep at least a few nights per week.  The most common source of pain was low back pain, followed by severe headaches and migraines, and neck pain.  Adults with low back pain were found to be more than 4 times more likely to experience serious psychological distress than those without low back pain.

The final part of the study describes the sad reality that so many people never get treated for their pain symptoms or wait until their symptoms are as bad as possible before seeing a doctor.  This happens for lots of reasons, but none of them are good ones.  If you’re experiencing pain, call your doctor.  If pain is keeping you awake at night, call your doctor.  If pain has made you feel depressed, call your doctor.  If your pain won’t go away, call your doctor.   Don’t let pain take control of your life – call your doctor.

WOL+MED CARF Pain Management has been a good solution for hundreds of other people who have suffered from persistent, chronic pain symptoms.  Our medical doctors can help you TODAY.  Don’t be one of those people who continue to suffer without getting help.  Call your doctor.  Call WOL+MED.

Denton: (940) 484-7000, Dallas:  (972) 572-5000

For more information on this pain study, go to http://www.painfoundation.org/newsroom/reporter-resources/pain-facts-figures.html.

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The #1 contributing factor to these serious injury crashes was failing to control speed, followed by driver inattention (going too fast and not paying attention). 

The following data is the most surprising.  If you were asked what the weather conditions were of most injuries, you would probably say rainy or icy conditions or driving at night.  You would be wrong.  63% of serious injury crashes occurred during daylight hours and 88% happened during dry road conditions.  Less than 7% of serious injury crashes happened during rainy conditions.  Serious injury crashes happened only about 10% of the time when combining wet and icy road conditions.

Finally, the ages of drivers who were in serious injury accidents was not as surprising.  Of those accidents where the driver’s age was reported, 27% were between the ages of 18 and 25, 23% were between the ages of 26 and 35, 19% were 36  to 45, 16% were 46 to 55, and 15% were 56+.

So, what does this data tell us?  For one, watch out for young adults driving too fast in near-perfect conditions.  I always assumed (and was wrong) that most serious injuries happened during poor weather / driving conditions, but everyone knows that the younger drivers are the most at risk for car accidents.

What do you do when you are hurt in a car wreck?  Always call the police and get an accident report.  This is very helpful for your insurance company.  Call 911 if you or someone else is seriously injured.  See a doctor who specializes in auto injuries as soon as possible following the accident.  WOL+MED, for example, can see you the same day as your injury, and we specialize in auto injuries and urgent care.  Also, you might need a personal injury lawyer and believe me, there are some really good ones out there.

Personal Injury Attorneys specialize in dealing directly with your insurance company and with the other driver’s insurance company.  They make sure that all of your injuries and auto damages are fully covered.  Many people think they can do all of this alone, but personal injury lawyers know how to get over the hurdles that some insurance carriers put in the way.  As far as doctor’s bills are concerned, a personal injury attorney will give the doctor a letter of protection (LOP) and this will allow you to get all of the treatment you need with no out-of-pocket cost.  Car accidents are unexpected to say the least.  You’re not planning on having to pay doctor’s bills and auto body expenses.  LOP’s will help you get all of that done with far less financial stress.

WOL+MED knows who the good personal injury lawyers are and we can recommend someone to you who will do the right job for you.  If you or a loved one has been in a serious auto injury, give WOL+MED a call.  We are auto injury experts and we want to be your doctor. 

For more information, visit on the web at www.wolmed.com.

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BRC’s and CCH’s can be overwhelming and intimidating for injured workers because they have to attend the hearings and represent themselves against lawyers and other workers comp experts who are trying to keep their case closed.  If the case is closed, then injured workers can’t get the treatment they need to get better.  When they can’t get better, they often lose their jobs, suffer from depression and financial loss, and more.  Workers Comp attorneys can usually prevent these bad things from happening.

CARF recognizes the need for patients to have legal advocacy and so does WOL+MED.  We can recommend very good, qualified workers compensation lawyers who will help get your case open or keep it open and help get your work injuries accepted by the insurance carrier.

Some people worry that they will have to pay the attorney and that usually is not true.  Most of the time, the workers comp attorney is paid a percentage by insurance carriers, but ONLY when you get paid and ONLY when your case is going well.  These lawyers have to do the right job for you before they ever get paid.  The other thing that is very important to remember is that if you have to be off work due to a work injury that is not accepted by the insurance carrier, you most likely will not get paid.  When your attorney gets your claim approved, that also keeps your checks coming.  Many patients think that’s worth it since they wouldn’t get paid without their attorney.

When you’re hurt at work, the last thing you should have to worry about is if you will have insurance problems or if you will have to pay money out of your own pocket to get treatment.  It’s not fair to you when that happens.  WOL+MED helps you with these problems by recommending very good, qualified workers comp attorneys to be in your corner.

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