I just read an article on the under treatment of chronic pain with the most common associated disease states listed as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and sickle–cell anemia. Since physical deconditioning is fraught with many serious negative consequences, such as obesity, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and diabetes in addition to be being a cause of most common pain problems, it should probably rank as a form of disease.

Indeed one of the reasons for pain in osteoarthritis is lack of proprer exercise and it is a standard of care to prescribe exercises for patients with arthritic pains. Infact unless we look at weak, stiff and tense muscles as possible sources of pain, no matter what underlying diagnoses have been made, we may be missing the chance to diminish or eliminate the pain through simple, cost effective, and safe interventions.

May 25, 2010 - 5:53pm — Posted by Dr. Norman Marcus