Tips for Patients with Diabetes, Arthritis, or Obesity
For many patients, pain can be a major symptom that comes with another major health concern like diabetes, arthritis, or obesity. These medical conditions can cause additional complications to your pain management treatment and even exacerbate your pain levels if they are not managed alongside your pain. At Macomb Pain Management, many of our pain patients work with our pain management doctors to find relief from chronic pain while living with a comorbid health condition. Let’s take a closer look at three of the most common comorbidities and how they can impact your pain levels.
Managing Pain With Diabetes
Pain from diabetes is most commonly caused by diabetic neuropathy, damage to nerves from uncontrolled blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels are not managed well, as a result of diabetes, damage occurs in the body in the form of:
- Peripheral nerve damage
- Damage to blood vessels
- Damaged to myelin nerve sheaths
- Inflammation in the body
For diabetic neuropathy pain, blood sugar levels first need to be brought under control to prevent further damage to the body. Once blood sugar levels are safely managed, treatment options like nerve pain medications, topical treatments, and interventional pain management treatments like peripheral nerve blocks can be used to bring your pain levels under control.
Managing Pain With Arthritis
While there are dozens of different types of arthritis, at its core, arthritis is a joint disease that causes pain as a result of degraded and degenerated protective tissues like cartilage. At Macomb Pain Management, the three most common types of arthritis pain we treat in our patients are primarily caused by:
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Gout
As arthritis is a degenerative condition, catching it as early as possible and taking steps to slow its progression are crucial for both reducing your pain levels and preserving your mobility and range of motion. There are a number of treatment options for reducing arthritis related pain, including:
- Physical therapy
- Weight management
- Medications
- Injection treatments
- Bracing and orthotics
At Macomb Pain Management, our team of arthritis specialists can help you with a treatment plan that both aims to slow the progression of your arthritis and effectively manage your pain symptoms.
Managing Pain With Obesity
Obesity is another common medical condition that also frequently presents with pain as one of its symptoms. Like the other causes of pain that we discussed earlier, one of the most crucial steps to providing you with pain relief is treating the root cause of your pain. In cases of obesity related pain, lifestyle changes and medications may be needed to help you lose excess weight, which will greatly improve your overall health and help reduce your pain levels. Obesity can cause pain through three primary ways:
- Increased strain on joints and the spine
- Chronic inflammation throughout the body
- Nerve compression
Even losing 5-10% of your body weight can lead to a major decrease in your pain levels and a major increase in your overall mobility. While it can be tough to manage obesity and the pain that accompanies it, you don’t have to face it alone with help from the team of board-certified pain management doctors at Macomb Pain Management.
Get Help With Pain Caused by Diabetes, Arthritis, Obesity, and Other Comorbidities at Macomb Pain Management
If you’re living with chronic pain and a comorbidity like diabetes, arthritis, and obesity, Macomb Pain Management is here to provide you with the pain relief you need. To get started on a custom pain management treatment plan that targets pain at its source and considers your unique medical situation, contact our team today at (248) 844-8281.
