TIME TO SEEK TREATMENT

Often you might wonder when is it the right time to seek a doctor, below is a list of symptoms that might be an indication for you to seek treatment.

• Your pain has lasted for more than 3 months without a clear reason.
• You are feeling down or you no longer enjoy taking part in activities you liked in the past.
• You may experience depression and/or stress
• You are losing your appetite
• You are unable to sleep because of the pain (Insomnia)
• You had an illness or injury that had healed, but the pain has not gone away.

**IF the chronic pain persists and interferes with your daily life despite having undergone several treatments, you may want to visit a pain management clinic - DBC.

DBC is a pain management clinic setting where you will receive treatments and learn how to cope with chronic pain.

To evaluate chronic pain, the assessment includes :

1. A detailed medical history
   Our physiotherapists will ask you about your general medical history, past illness and overall health. You can also expect queries about your pain, previous pain and episodes, as well as how they were treated and whether the treatment was successful.
2. Physical Exam
   Our physiotherapists will look for areas that are tender, weak or numb. We will also test your reflexes and look for other clues that may be the cause of your pain.
3. Mental Health assessment
   This test will evaluate your emotional functioning and ability to think, reason and remember.
4. EMG Test
   This test will measure your muscles fatigue so as to find out whether your chronic pain is related to a muscle or nerve problem.

Treating chronic pain can be challenging

Often the reason for the pain is unclear and it may take several types of combinations of treatment before you find relief.

When treatment is started, some people may experience an increase in pain. This may be because the chronic pain had caused them to be physically inactive thus resulting in the lost of strength and flexibility. However, long-term treatment can help to reduce the pain and increase your ability to function.

You can also learn new ways of doing ordinary tasks that will help you to reduce pain, as often, chronic pain cannot be cured completely. However if the pain was well managed, this can significantly improve your quality of life.

Be sure to seek treatment if your pain has lasted for longer than 2 to 3 months. Early treatment may prevent the pain from getting worse.