Unrealistic Expectations

Studies have shown that for chronic pain patients that have been out of work for a year or longer, the possibility of going back to their jobs is less than 15%. The same studies have shown that the longer the patient stays out of work, the less of a chance that they will go back. Although we would like to be able to help everybody eliminate their pain, the truth is that most people with chronic pain will continue to have some degree of pain for the rest of their lives. Remember that there are certain conditions that cannot be cured or eliminated, for example: arthritic degeneration. In fact, the rule of thumb is that if you have had pain for longer than a year, chances are that your pain may have become permanent. Our job is to help you manage your pain. Most of the time we can decrease it to the point where it is bearable, nevertheless, it may be unrealistic to think that we may be able to completely get rid of it.