Before having a procedure at the hospital, it is natural to have concerns
about the pain you may experience as you heal. Many patients may be prescribed
pain medication to help manage post-operative pain, but these medications
can come with many negative side effects such as constipation or urinary
retention that can result in a longer hospital stay. In some cases, the
use of pain medication can even result in addiction, leading to many other
health complications over time.
Understanding Pain
There are many ways the body can experience physical pain - from the pain
that you experience after stubbing a toe or spraining your ankle to the
pain you experience after a surgery or procedure. The nature of surgery
involves damaging the tissues around the part of the body needing medical
intervention - to make an incision, to move tendons or bones aside, or
to replace tissues that no longer function properly.
In all of these cases, signals are sent from the affected part of your
body to your brain, and your brain interprets whether the signal means
your body is in danger. If the brain decides that your body is in danger,
the brain creates pain, which encourages you to protect the affected area
from further damage.
At BCH, we strive to provide the most cutting-edge therapies available,
helping patients to live healthier, longer lives with as few medications
as possible – especially opioids which can cause dependency. By
understanding that pain is created by the brain as an alarm to keep us
safe, we can address pain with more than just medication - we can address
pain with mindfulness.
Mindfulness exercises to reduce pain
There is a scientifically proven method for managing pain through a mindfulness
practice called "metacognition" that does not use medication
at all. Metacognition is defined as the awareness and understanding of
your thought processes, or more simply - thinking about your thoughts.
In a
study by neuroscientist Eric Garland, Ph.D. of the University of Utah, patients
who participated in a single mind-body exercise reported significantly
lower pain intensity after the exercise than patients who were simply
told about these mind-body pain coping techniques.
In these two meditative exercises presented by mind body specialist Brad
Fanestil, MD, of BCH's
Center for Mind Body Medicine, you can practice the skills to reduce your pain by acknowledging your
sensations, then stepping back from your experience of pain and redirecting
your thoughts. These exercises help you redirect your thoughts away from
your pain to focus instead on observing either your breath or your sensations.
