Pain Management for Osteoarthritis
Pain is the body’s warning system that alerts you to real or potential damage to your body. The way an individual experiences pain is personal and can be influenced by factors such as surroundings, previous injury experience, your emotional state and beliefs, as well as other factors. Since pain is personal, pain treatments that work for one person may work differently or may not work at all for others.
Arthritis pain is most often a result of inflammation, joint damage, and pain sensitization. Many factors that can contribute to the way an individual experiences arthritic pain include muscle tension, physical activity, fatigue, mental health, focus on pain, social environment/support and attitude and belief system.
The most successful way to manage pain is to combine self-management techniques with medical treatments, some of which are outlined on our website.
For more information on understanding pain, please visit Arthritis Society Canada’s comprehensive resource: Arthritis Pain Management Guide. Their Daily Symptom Tracker is a useful tool for you to note patterns of pain and communicate with your health care provider.
Chronic Pain Management Program
The Alberta Healthy Living Program offers a free program to support patients who have been dealing with non-cancerous pain lasting 3 months or more, with no formal diagnosis needed to participate. Their focus is to help patients reduce their pain, increase function, and return to meaningful activities that improve quality of life.
Support is offered in the form of online/virtual education sessions, one-on-one pain coaching, and multidisciplinary care. In-person opportunities are also available for select services.
Self-referrals are accepted and encouraged.
For more information on this program, please call (403) 388-6654.