30-Second Blog “Snapshot:”

• Pain can make patients feel isolated or misunderstood, making it harder to express thoughts and feelings.
• The Southwest Spine and Pain Center physicians recognize pain management requires supplemental therapies to address the mental and emotion aspects of pain.
• Below are creative outlet ideas for managing chronic pain symptoms.

Creative activities like dancing, painting, writing, and more can help keep a patient’s mind off their physical pain, while providing a vehicle to express emotional pain. Unfortunately, depression is a common side effect of chronic pain and can consume a person’s livelihood if not addressed immediately. Patients should consider complementary forms of “medicine” (i.e.,...

Pain physicians are a special breed of doctor. That probably sounds silly, but becoming a pain management specialist requires more than just a strong educational background—it also requires behavioral traits like empathy and compassion. Of course, we don’t mean these traits are literally required, but they undoubtedly help when you consider the nature of this profession. Working with individuals in pain can be an emotionally trying experience, and some people may be more cut out for this career than others.

Nevertheless, there are certain education and training requirements when becoming a credentialed pain management physician. The team at Southwest Spine and Pain Center is sharing what it takes to become a pain doctor and how they became pain specialists themselves...

According to the Association for Physiological Science, individuals who are positive and have more “upbeat” emotions have better physical health. This may stem from a positive persons’ ability to make more social connections, which inadvertently contributes to greater physical health. Nevertheless, it should come as no surprise that mood and emotions play a huge role in a person’s overall wellbeing. Moreover, leading a happier life could help reduce chronic pain symptoms.

At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, the team strives to treat each patient with positivity and the utmost respect in the hopes of increasing positivity and physical health. With that, the pain management physicians are also sharing what it takes to be positive and how that can impact chronic pain.

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Degenerative disc disease is a condition that causes pain from damaged vertebral discs in the spine. Degeneration of one or more discs is fairly common in aging adults and can hasten from conditions like spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis of the spine, or spondylolisthesis (facet joint degeneration). Unfortunately, this ailment can confuse and/or create unnecessary panic in people because of it’s name. Degenerative disc disease is not actually a “disease,” and contrary to popular belief, this condition can get better over time.

The team at Southwest Spine and Pain Center is here to debunk common myths associated with degenerative disc disease and share what treatment options are available to those suffering from the condition. Keep reading for more information on degenerative disc...