Ep. 267 "Managing Chronic Pain with Psoriatic Arthritis"

Description:

Chronic pain can be difficult to live with. If you have psoriatic arthritis you know all too well what that means. Listen as physiatrist Dr. Erin Maslowski and LB Herbert offer ways to manage pain before it manages your life. 

Join host Susan McClelland-Tobert, a retired pediatric cardiologist who also lives with psoriatic disease as she uncovers the topic of what is chronic pain and how to manage it with Dr. Erin Maslowski, a physiatrist at Emplify Health System who specializes in physical medicine, rehabilitation and pain management, along with LB Herbert who also lives with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, and knows all too well what it means to live with pain, developing her own pain tool kit. Hear different strategies for managing initial flares to when pain escalates. Pain doesn’t have to dictate how you live your life. 

This episode addresses why pain occurs, it’s impact, and what can be done to manage pain both physically and emotionally.

Timestamps:

(0:23)  Intro to Psoriasis Uncovered & guests physiatrist Dr. Erin Maslowski and LB Herbert

(1:48)  The unpredictability of pain and what pain means to LB.

(2:31)  The science behind what happens in the body when acute and chronic pain occurs.

(5:08)  General principles and first steps to managing pain associated with inflammatory arthritis.

(11:00) Recognition of flares and taking action to reduce the impact before pain escalates.        .

(14:02) Steps to address the chronic pain cycle as it escalates such as steroid injections and                     medications that change how the brain perceives pain signals.

(20:54) Side effects and cautions for use of pain management medications.

(24:17) What and who LB turns to for managing her pain.

(25:50) Support resources and who to consider as part of a pain management team.  

(33:16) Overcoming the stigma of mental health and “it’s all in your head”.

(34:45) Addressing the challenge of fatigue that often comes with pain. It’s more than feeling                 tired. 

(39:32) Activities to keep the body moving to help avoid stiff joints.          .

(42:11) What’s on the horizon for managing pain.

(44:55) Start small, experiment with change, but above all give yourself grace if you’re not able to           do something. Gain what control you can to live your life your way.

Key Takeaways:

·       Chronic pain (existing for more than 3 months) occurs when ongoing inflammation keeps signaling pain via the nervous system becoming hypersensitized and greater than the original pain signal. This can occur even when inflammation is managed and in control.

 

·       Treating chronic pain is complicated however there are many different avenues to help minimize pain associated with inflammatory diseases such as psoriatic arthritis.

  ·       Management of chronic pain involves a variety of specialists and support to help address the         physical and emotional impact of living with chronic pain.

Guest Bios:

Dr. Erin Maslowski is a board-certified physician, physiatrist, at Emplify Health System where she specializes in Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Orthopedic Sports Medicine providing care for musculoskeletal and spine injuries and pain management including image-guided injection procedures. She has expertise in treating arthritis, spinal stenosis and spondylosis, rotator cuff injury, and other conditions with the ultimate goal of restoring function after injury to the muscle, bone, soft tissue, or nervous system.  Dr. Maslowski is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health where she teaches both medical students and residents. She has over 15 years of clinical experience in physical medicine and rehabilitation. 

 LB Herbert, has been living with the challenge of managing pain associated with psoriatic arthritis for 16 years, even developing her own tool kit through the years. She has shared what’s she’s learned on other episodes of this podcast, through articles, and as a One-to-One Program mentor for the National Psoriasis Foundation. LB began her journey in 2009 with back pain. Following many years of being misdiagnosed she finally found a rheumatologist who put all her symptoms together to diagnose her with psoriatic arthritis and place her on an appropriate treatment path. She states “my biggest challenge is not knowing what each day will bring, what the symptoms will be, and if I wake up and flare. It’s a continuous unknown.”

Resources:

• Chronic Pain kit 
• NSAIDS for Psoriatic Disease 
• Podcast episode: “Living with Chronic with Chronic Pain and Fatigue in PsA and SpA” with rheumatologist Dr. Philip Mease, Dr. Ernest Choy, from Cardiff University School of Medicine, with patients Melissa Leeolou and Minionette “Mini” Wilson who discuss causes, symptoms, risks, and tips for managing chronic pain and fatigue successfully.