A University of Canterbury researcher has been examining how one in six New Zealanders live with chronic
pain. While many people think all pain can be treated successfully, for
every four people being treated with chronic pain, only one is likely to
get pain relief and they may only be able to reduce their pain by 50
percent. Dr Bronnie Thompson says
that despite the glum figures for treating chronic pain, about 30 percent of
those people cope well and don't seek treatment.
“This group of people don't get studied often, possibly because they
just get on with life and we don't see them, or maybe because they're
not the people costing our health system. Consequently, we don't know
very much about how or why they do so well.
“This means when we're developing treatments for people who can't
otherwise get pain relief, we don't know very much about what is working
well in daily life for people who are successfully coping. I studied
this group of people and found that when people first develop pain, life
becomes incoherent and chaotic and nothing makes sense any more.
“They seek to make sense of their pain, their diagnosis and what is
important in life. They focus on their work or activities so life has
purpose and meaning. With the support of a clinician, and when they have
a strong drive to work and have activities, people begin to get on with
their lives so that they can look to a new future.
“What's
important about my research is that it shows us something about the
process of adapting to a common problem. It's not about being a special
kind of person. It's about being passionate about something that
expresses important parts of self-concept and having the support to do
this.
“Many people don't benefit from drugs, surgery and other treatments,
but there are ways for people to take control of their lives and do
what's important to them. If they're prepared to change the way they do
things they can develop effective coping strategies.”
Dr Thompson says in an aging society where pain from osteoarthritis
and other chronic conditions is increasing, helping people identify what
motivates them and makes them feel better is something the New Zealand
health system could benefit from.