Mirror Pain: What You Need to Know.

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What is mirror pain?

Maybe you had been in pain for a while because of a broken arm or leg. Then one day, the opposite limb started hurting — even though it wasn’t injured. 

That’s mirror pain.

Mirror pain happens in the exact same body part or body area on the opposite side of a trauma-affected or diseased body part. 

And it can strike anywhere in the body — even in healthy teeth on the other side of diseased, painful teeth. Fortunately, mirror pain is usually not as bad as the injured side. 

When does mirror pain strike?

Mirror pain symptoms usually begin after the nerve pain has turned chronic, typically three or more months after the original injury.

Chronic neuropathic pain can lead to nerve sensitization or increased sensitivity and spread the pain around the body.

In general, the greater the pain and inflammation in the injured area, the more likely the uninjured side will develop mirror pain.

How does mirror pain work?

You aren’t imagining it.

When you suffer an injury, your body’s immune response kicks on, and it starts attending to the injured limb or area.

That’s part of the healing process, and that’s good.

But sometimes, long after an injury, the body’s immune response affects the opposite, non-injured area. And that can cause nerve damage and pain.

Why does your body do this?

Though it may seem like the opposite of helpful, mirror pain may be the body’s way of sending you the message that you need to stay out of harm’s way for a while.

It may be trying to communicate something like, “Double the pain, double the caution.”

Is mirror pain treatable?

Like other nerve pain, mirror pain is treatable — but it’s also preventable. Indeed, nerve pain resulting from injury does not have to evolve into chronic nerve pain and spread to otherwise healthy limbs. 

When treating patients with acute nerve pain from trauma or disease, doctors and pain specialists need to devise the most effective pain management plan and apply it early and aggressively.

But even if you already have mirror pain, there’s no reason to worry because it’s very treatable. 

Pain specialists can effectively manage and treat it using medicines, therapies, and non-invasive techniques like electrical nerve stimulation. 

Pain Treatment You Can Trust

Do you have mirror pain or think you may have it? Our pain management specialists can devise a pain treatment plan that works for you. 

To find out how our multidisciplinary, interventional pain management treatment options can change your life, please give us a call or book an appointment online.

5 Ways to Help You Describe Your Pain to Your Doctor

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It can be hard to give your doctor an accurate depiction of your pain issue.

But it’s necessary to get the treatment you need. 

So, we created this list of five ways you can better describe your pain to your doctor to help prepare for your next visit.

1. Be ready to describe how severe it is. 

At your visit, doctors and nurses typically ask you:

  • How bad your pain is on a scale of one to ten.
  • Whether your pain is mild, moderate, or severe. 
  • To choose from several or more faces with expressions showing varying degrees of pain. 

Coming to your appointment prepared with answers to these questions will give your doctor a clearer picture of your pain issue.

2. Keep a detailed record of your pain. 

A “pain journal” is a great way to gather and organize your thoughts into a detailed, accurate pain record. 

Here are some questions to consider: 

  • When did it start? Is it constant, or does it come and go? 
  • If it comes and goes, what time of day do you feel it? In the night, morning, afternoon, evening, or more than one? 
  • Does any action like sitting down, laying down, or standing up make the pain better or worse? Does applying cold or heat to the affected area relieve or worsen it?
  • Is there any discomfort along with the pain, such as numbness, coldness, or warmth?

3. Choose a few words that accurately describe how it feels. 

Ask yourself whether the pain is dull, sharp, throbbing, radiating, or something else. Here are some words for inspiration:

  • Aching, burning, cramping, grating, lingering, penetrating, piercing, radiating, searing, scraping, shooting, splitting, stabbing, stinging, tearing, throbbing, tingling, tugging, wrenching, sharp, tender, tight, dull 

4. Be prepared to talk about any previous pain treatments. 

  • Have you tried acupuncture, chiropractic, or any other natural treatments or therapies?

5. Write down everything your pain keeps you from doing.

List all the things you would do in your daily life if pain-free or in less pain. Can you lift objects and twist, turn, and bend freely? Can you climb stairs and stand for extended periods?

Pain Management and Treatment with Kindness

The pain specialist team at Texas Pain Physicians provides friendly, compassionate care — from your first consultation to your last treatment.

If you’re in pain, please visit one of our locations in Dallas, Houston, Irving, or elsewhere in Texas. Give us a call today to schedule your appointment or book online.

7 Non-Invasive Treatments for Hip Pain

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Healthy hips let you twist and turn freely.

But hip injuries, failed hip surgery, and disease and degeneration from aging can keep you from doing all the working, playing, helping, and participating that your life demands.

Non-surgical treatment is the best way to address the pain and restore function. 

Here are seven non-invasive or non-surgical treatments for hip pain.

1. Steroid Injections 

Pain can stop you in your tracks, and when it does, steroid injections directly into the hip can give you immediate pain relief.

Steroid injections contain two main ingredients: a corticosteroid to reduce inflammation and a numbing agent or anesthetic to numb the pain.

2. Platelet-Rich Plasma Infusions 

Taking platelets from your blood and infusing them into your hip area can heal wounds and repair cartilage for hip problems caused by injury. 

There’s no scientific evidence, however, that this therapy is effective for pain due to arthritis. 

3. Nerve Block

Nerve blocks can provide short-term relief for chronic hip pain due to injury or hip surgery (including hip replacement surgery). 

The procedure involves injecting an inflammation-reducing steroid straight into the femoral-obturator nerves to stop them from sending pain signals.

4. Radiofrequency Ablation

Once nerve blocks successfully provide short-term hip pain relief, radiofrequency ablation becomes a viable option for long-term pain relief.

The procedure involves heating and inserting a specially-designed needle into the femoral and obturator nerves running into the hip joints. The needle’s heat can stop these nerves from sending pain signals for more than six months.

5. Trigger-Point Injections

In the hips and other areas, painful muscle knots known as “trigger points” can form when muscles are tense for too long. Often, you can feel these knots under the skin. 

These trigger points can irritate the nerves around them and cause you even more pain. 

A trigger point injection involves injecting an anesthetic, saline, or corticosteroid straight into the trigger point. One procedure can bring long-term relief.

6. Physical and Occupational Therapy

Regardless of what’s causing it, physical therapy can reduce pain over time by increasing flexibility and strengthening muscles and soft tissue.

And when it comes to reducing pain caused by daily life’s demands, occupational therapy can help. Learning healthy sitting and standing posture and sound techniques for movements like lifting objects and sitting up in bed can help minimize or eliminate pain.

7. Over-the-Counter (OTC) Pain Medications

OTC pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil) can relieve hip pain and reduce inflammation. 

Treatment for Hip Pain at Texas Pain Physicians

If you have hip pain, please give us a call today. We can explain more about any of these treatments and find out the best option for your specific health situation. 

If you would like to book a visit with us online, please click here.