Michigan Spine & Pain

Mt. Pleasant, Gaylord, & West Bloomfield, MI

 

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Mt. Pleasant, MI – 989-772-1609
West Bloomfield, MI – 248-851-PAIN (7246)

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September is Pain Awareness Month

pain awareness monthIf you are reading this, you may already be WELL AWARE of pain.

Pain Awareness Month, truthfully, is directed at the general public and all of the health care providers, as well as family members of those who suffer from pain.

The messages of Pain Awareness Month:

The Cost of Pain:

  • Did you know that chronic pain affects 100 million Americans, more than cancer and heart disease combined?
  • Chronic pain is a leading cause of employee absenteeism.

The Impact of Pain on Quality of Life:

  • Pain can adversely impact a person, and limit their ability to work, to socialize and to form and maintain good relationships with family and friends.
  • Pain sufferers also report poor sleep, which exacerbates their pain and ability to function.
  • Pain and depression often co-exist.
  • Pain and anxiety can also co-exist.

Not Everybody Understands Pain:

  • Many health care providers “don’t get” pain, underestimating its intensity or impact.
  • Prescription pain management and proper use of prescription medication complicates the treatment of pain.

Ways to celebrate this month:

  • Share your pain story with others. Tell those who don’t understand pain how you cope, what works and what your struggles are. Your goal is to educate those around you about this seemingly invisible illness. Make it visible!
  • Take time to take care of yourself. Lead your friends and neighbors in a restorative walk. Host a healthy potluck. Get together with pain sufferers and non-pain sufferers to share how you get through tough times.
  • Take time to learn, taking advantage of resources on our website as well as with our knowledgeable staff. We can recommend lots of websites, books and magazines that we trust.

You are more than your pain. But your pain deserves to be acknowledged and treated.

Filed Under: Depression, Diseases That Cause Pain Tagged With: cost of pain, pain and depression, pain awareness month

You Are so Much More Than Your Pain

Describe myself?  Here is what might I say:  I am a woman. I am a spouse. I am a daughter of parents who need care. I love books and swimming. I am in pain. The pain in my back and neck keeps me from swimming sometimes. I have trouble sleeping. I am a grandmother. I am depressed about living with pain. I travel in the winter to places that are warm…I understand that I am so much more than my pain, yet it is a part of my life in every way, every day. Some of these things my friends and family know. No one, though, had really ever asked me to describe myself , not in this way, until my first meeting with my Michigan Spine and Pain Social Worker.

“You are so much more than your pain”, Dr. Bleiberg told me at my first appointment. I had been in agony for weeks and, honestly, all I wanted was a muscle relaxer prescription.  Right away I learned that Dr. Bleiberg and his team approach to pain medicine is about treating the whole person, not just the symptom, condition or disease. My meeting with Cory, a Michigan Spine and Pain LCSW (licensed clinical social worker) made such a difference for me in how I think about who I am and how pain modifies the parameters of my life. Before coming to Michigan Spine and Pain I could not have told you – or myself even – that I was depressed about living with chronic pain. I could not have told you that I was not alone in my emotional struggle with physical pain. It is one year – exactly – since my first MISP appointment. I’ve learned how to take control of my pain and I’ve learned how to happily live those parts of my life that are so much more than pain. Here are some resources I that helped me. Maybe that might be helpful to you too. These organizations provide information, advocacy, and support for chronic pain sufferers and families of the millions of people who live with pain:

  •  The American Academy of Pain Management www.aapainmanage.org

The American Academy of Pain Management (AAPM) is a professional organization that provides accreditation, education and publishing opportunities. There is also a wealth of information on the AAPM web site that is easily accessible and user friendly for pain patients interested in learning more about the world of pain management and pain care.

  • American Chronic Pain Association www.theacpa.org

For more than 30 years the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA) has offered support and education in pain management in the form of programs and peer to peer support groups for people living with pain, as well as to family, friends, and health care professionals working with people in pain. Simply put, the ACPA puts everyone on the same page.  There are literately hundreds of ACPA support groups meeting in community centers, hospital conference rooms, schools and libraries in every city, everywhere. The ACPA’s unique take on living life to its fullest, even with pain, is important for me, and others that I have met, on my journeys with pain. As an added bonus, the information and tools on the ACPA web site are easy to access and have personally helped me live a higher quality of life.

WE are so much more than our pain. WE are not alone. We might not ever know each other’s names, but let us know how you are doing by sending Dr. Bleiberg an email.  He’ll make your note anonymous and allow us to share your pain journey to help others, too.

Thanks, Cory, for asking me to share my story.

Filed Under: Feature, Patient Experience Tagged With: managing pain, pain and depression, social work support

Real People, Real Relief

Getting you back to your active life: that is the philosophy that Michigan Spine & Pain follows. Read more.

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Real Relief

  • Spinal Stenosis
  • Herniated / Bulging / Protruding Disc
  • Cervical / Neck Pain
  • Degenerative Disc Disease
  • Headaches
  • Hip Pain
  • Low Back Pain
  • Knee Pain
  • Fibromyalgia
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Real Solutions

  • Pain Relief
  • Interventional Procedures
  • Chiropractic Treatment
  • Physical Therapy
  • Acupuncture
  • Patient Care
  • Technology
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Locations

Mount Pleasant, Michigan
2935 Health Parkway., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858

West Bloomfield, Michigan
6079 W. Maple Rd., West Bloomfield, MI 48322

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