A drug free treatment for osteoarthritis – read our guest post from Mark Taylor Bryant.


Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis

Mark Taylor Bryant is 43 and from Manchester. He works as a long distance lorry driver. In this guest post he tells us about a drug free treatment for osteoarthritis he has been using. We though we would share as part of our on going series of blogs on pain management.

He writes “I was first diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my knees, shoulder and wrist joints over ten years ago. However, over recent years I’ve been suffering from severe pain, particularly in my knees. This is something that is exacerbated by my work as a long haul delivery driver, which sees me sitting in the driving position for up to 18 hours a day as I cover between 200,000 to 300,000 miles per year.

I was told by doctors that I was too young for a knee replacement . However, neither of these provided me with any relief. I also had two arthroscopy procedures performed on my knees to try and clear the damaged cartilage. However, these procedures both had minimal impact in terms of pain relief. It felt as though I was just going to have to accept the excruciating pain for the rest of my life and in particular during the winter months when the pain would be heightened.


However, during a routine delivery I mentioned my troubles to an office worker at the delivery address who told me about a company, FLEXISEQ, that manufactures a drug-free treatment for osteoarthritis. I tried out a sample soon after and almost immediately the pain started to subside. After two weeks I felt completely different and I now apply the gel twice a day to the affected joints to ensure that the pain does not return.

I’m currently not suffering from any pain in my joints. It’s not so much that FLEXISEQ helps the pain go away, it actually stops the pain from occurring – it’s incredibly effective and has had a measurable impact on the day to day quality of my life.

We were told In a clinical trial on 1395 adults with osteoarthritis of the knee, use of FLEXISEQ resulted in clinically relevant reductions in joint pain and stiffness and improvement in physical function that were equivalent to the effects of an anti-inflammatory . There have been no serious side effects reported relating to the use of Flexiseq. In clinical trials FLEXISEQ caused minor skin irritations, mainly erythema, dry skin and rash – usually mild to moderate intensity, transient and fading away by itself. A treatment interruption was not necessary. There are no known interruptions with other medicines.

September is Pain Awareness Month #goyellow #PainAwarenessMonth

Pain Awareness Month

Pain Awareness Month

As you may know September is Pain Awareness Month. We want to highlight what is happening in Wisconsin because it givers a great example of how to act globally. Also we want to show our support for the “Go Yellow” social media awareness campaign.

In fact Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has proclaimed September as Pain Awareness Month. According to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, chronic pain is the nation’s primary cause of lost workdays. It affects more people than
cancer, heart disease and diabetes combined, with over 100 million Americans suffering from it. Pain management has been a particular focus of this blog with a special interest in multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia.

To raise awareness of chronic pain and its treatment, Advanced Pain Management (APM), the Wisconsin chapter of the American Society for Pain Management Nursing (ASPMN) and the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA) joined efforts to get the proclamation by the Office of the Governor . Through the proclamation, doctors with APM and representatives of ASPMN and ACPA hope to facilitate an improved quality of life for those suffering from pain and increase their access to appropriate pain management treatment.

“Pain is a costly epidemic that causes millions of Americans to suffer and millions of dollars’ worth of employee productivity to be lost,” said Dr. Yogendra Bharat, medical director of Advanced Pain Management. “Pain Awareness Month is intended to get Wisconsinites to recognize the symptoms of pain and get appropriate relief so they don’t have to miss work or other activities.”

According to Bharat, the most common type of pain is lower back pain, followed by severe headaches or migraines. It is estimated that 80 percent of Americans will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Organizations supporting the Pain Awareness Month initiative will conduct a “Go Yellow” social media campaign, encouraging the public to raise awareness during September.

Advanced Pain Management is one of the largest pain management groups in the country, with more than 30 board-certified/eligible physicians offering the most advanced techniques for pain control. Advanced Pain Management physicians operate out of more than 40 locations in Wisconsin, including metro Milwaukee, the greater Madison area, Racine, Sheboygan and Green Bay, as well as in Mankato, Minn. You can find Advanced Pain
Management online at www.apmhealth.com.

Indeed they have asked up to share the infographic below which we would ask you to pass on as well.

Pain Awareness Month

Pain Awareness Month

Do you suffer from chronic pain? Take part in a survey for the University of Colorado and you could be entered in a draw and win $50


University of Colorado Denver

University of Colorado Denver

The University of Colorado Denver is running some interesting research with people who suffer from various types of chronic pain including fibromyalgia.  Jessica Payne-Murphy, who is running the survey, has written a short post outlining the scope of the study!

Payne-Murphy writes “You are invited to take part in a research study: Acceptance-Based Factors in Chronic Pain: A Comparison Between Fibromyalgia and Low Back Pain Patients in an Internet Support Group Sample (COMIRB No: 13-3263). This study is being led by Jessica Payne-Murphy, M.A. at the University of Colorado Denver.

The study involves answering a series of online questionnaires designed to increase understanding of chronic pain. We are inviting participants (age 18 and older) who have been and are currently managing low back pain or fibromyalgia for at least 3 months to complete an online survey. It is anticipated that this survey will take approximately 30-45 minutes of your time to complete.

If you choose to participate in the study, you will have the opportunity to enter a drawing for one of up to ten $50 Amazon.com or Amazon.eu gift cards.

In addition, we request that you forward/share the survey link to other individuals with chronic low back pain or fibromyalgia who may wish to participate in this study so that they may have the opportunity to assist us in gathering information about chronic pain and online support groups.”

Please click on the following link if you are interested in learning more about the research study:

https://redcap.ucdenver.edu/surveys/?s=GCZEdEQBgd

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Payne-Murphy at at https://www.facebook.com/UCDChronicPainResearchStudy?ref=hl

Or use the comments boxes below to ask her any questions.


Meralgia Paresthetica – find out more about this painful medical condition and how it can be managed.

Meralgia Paresthetica

Meralgia Paresthetica

Welcome to our latest informational post where we look at various different medical conditions and was of managing pain.  Today we would like to focus on Meralgia Paraesthetica  or “Burning Thigh Pain”.  In fact it is a type of neuropathic pain.  You can find out more about neuropathic pain at our previous blog here.

Meralgia paraesthetica is numbness or pain in the outer thigh not caused by injury to the thigh itself but rather to a nerve that goes from the thigh to the spinal column.

Typical symptoms often include:

•             Pain on the outer side of the thigh.  This can go right to the knee.

•             A burning sensation, tingling, or numbness in the same area

•             Occasionally, aching in the groin area or pain spreading across the buttocks

•             People with Meralgia Paresthetica may find themselves hypersensitive to heat!

Management is typically through anti-inflammation products and painkillers.  However looser clothes are also recommended.  In some cases bed rest may be suggested by your doctor.

In the long term physiotherapy and general weight loss with assist recovery.

As with many of our blogs were we look at particular conditions we are looking for the input of people with that condition.  In particular we are interested in exploring the following aspects of Meralgia Paresthetica.  It would be great if you could share your experiences in the comments boxes below:-

•             When were you diagnosed with Meralgia Paresthetica?

•             What were your original symptoms of Meralgia Paresthetica?

•             What tests were you given for Meralgia Paresthetica?

•             What impact if any has Meralgia Paresthetica had on your lifestyle in particular your choice of clothing?

•             If you had one piece of advice for a fellow sufferer what would it be?

Thanks very much for your help in advance!

What is your worst symptom of pain? Please take our poll and share your story!

Pain

Pain

Chronic pain can be absolute hell.  Just ask anyone with multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer or a person who suffers from migraines.

One thing concerns me is the amount of understanding among both healthcare professionals and the general public of the symptoms of pain and pain’s effect on the lifestyle of the person living with chronic pain.

So we thought it would be worth running a  short poll with our readers to find out what they think is the worst symptom of pain.

Please feel free to use the comments box to share more about your journey with pain.  Anything you share will be of interest to our readers.

To have a look at our previous pain management blogs please go to https://patienttalk.org/tag/pain-management/