Reinjury fear: An unresolved orthopedic injury leads to the belief, strengthened over time that any use of the affected area will result in pain. The concept of use becomes associated with a fear of the onset of pain. This belief is the gateway between the acute pain of injury and the chronic pain that characterizes …
Being needful and being dependent are not the same thing. After meeting the basic needs of life, the next concern is whether life will be, in some form, unique or special. The idea of being commonplace and ignorable is a painful reality for most people. The thought that their lives will be mundane and forgettable …
Medication: ”A competent and ethical prescriber must consider two factors at the same time: am I providing pain relief, but also is this patient drug seeking and appropriately using these drugs? Even though patients are increasingly looking at non-drug treatment alternatives. These include physical therapy, injections and massage. Prescribers may high endorse those alternatives, having …
”The common response when first meeting someone is “and what do you do?” Although the temptation is to reply “well, as little as I can,” most individuals respond with their job title, profession or business. We are seen, and see ourselves, in terms of that which we do to earn a living. The science of …
Adversity: ”A study links family problems and other early life adversity to variation in brain structure in late adolescence and an increased risk for depression and anxiety among boys.“ When we have an injured worker who has become depressed, we need to know how much of this is an expected consequence for that individual. Not …
Should we expect depression in all patients with chronic pain? Perhaps not, but you should always test for it. Approximately …
Read Blog Post
I see many Hispanic patients, and they may be more difficult to return to work for several important, and often overlooked, …
Read Blog Post
While you cannot rule out the roles of greed and manipulation, there are far more important matters unfolding as settlement …
Read Blog Post
