Workshop Manual - Faculty of pain medicine - Australian and New ...
Workshop Manual - Faculty of pain medicine - Australian and New ...
Workshop Manual - Faculty of pain medicine - Australian and New ...
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Non-drug treatments<br />
Both physical <strong>and</strong> psychological factors affect how we feel <strong>pain</strong>.<br />
Treatments include:<br />
• Physical<br />
— RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) <strong>of</strong> injuries<br />
— Surgery (e.g. for treatment <strong>of</strong> abscess)<br />
— Acupuncture, massage, physiotherapy<br />
• Psychological<br />
— Explanation<br />
— Reassurance<br />
— Counselling<br />
A placebo treatment involves giving a patient a <strong>medicine</strong> that has no<br />
pharmacological effect (e.g. giving an injection <strong>of</strong> saline for <strong>pain</strong>).<br />
Because psychological factors are very important, the patient’s <strong>pain</strong><br />
may improve.<br />
If the placebo treatment works, this does not mean the patient did<br />
not have <strong>pain</strong> in the first place or that the patient was lying!<br />
Drug treatments<br />
Medicines are <strong>of</strong>ten the mainstay <strong>of</strong> treatment. Different <strong>medicine</strong>s<br />
work on different parts <strong>of</strong> the <strong>pain</strong> pathway <strong>and</strong> it is <strong>of</strong>ten important<br />
to use a combination <strong>of</strong> <strong>medicine</strong>s. In addition, combining <strong>medicine</strong>s<br />
may result in fewer side effects, e.g. prescribing regular paracetamol<br />
in addition to morphine allows the dose <strong>of</strong> morphine to be reduced,<br />
resulting in fewer morphine-related side effects.<br />
PAIN TREATMENT<br />
20 ESSENTIAL PAIN MANAGEMENT
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