Imagine living in a time without doctor’s offices or emergency rooms.
What did people with chronic pain do? Did they grin and bear it? Did they suffer in silence? Did they experience pain differently than we do today?
We are fortunate to be living in this day and age.
Read on for a brief take on the history of chronic pain.
How Ancient Civilizations Experienced Pain
There are many medical advancements that have given comfort to people who struggle with chronic pain. Unfortunately, not many of us are aware of just how controlled chronic pain can be these days. The medical field is constantly evolving and advancing, and it’s interesting to look back and see just how far we have come.
Recently, a Reddit user posted an interesting position on pain management in medieval times. The user worked as a professional re-enactor, likely at a place similar to a medieval times dinner theatre. He pointed out the fact that he regularly shoots an English longbow that pulls 70 pounds, and that he had begun to experience chronic back, shoulder, and neck pain along his right side (as he was right-handed). He noted that during times of war, it was not unusual for an English longbowman to pull twice that weight.
Archaeologists have discovered skeletal remains of medieval archers, finding that the bone spurs were consistent with the side of the body from which they did their shooting. They also noted, though, some abnormal growths present in the bone spurs. One can only imagine how excruciatingly painful it must have been for these archers to live with these issues.
Many historical books address the significance of chronic pain management in medieval times. It was more important to them, though, to understand how to treat pain. There were many remedies and theories, for example, that often involved plants and vegetables. One, in particular, suggested taking equal amounts of radishes, bishop’s wort, garlic, wormwood, helenium, cropleek and hollow leek. The concoction was then applied to the area in pain. There are conflicting reports about whether or not it worked.
Either way, we know that for the vast majority of human history, chronic pain has persisted as a major hindrance on people’s lives.
This brings us to more recent times.
Opioid Use Just 50 Years Ago
We hear so much about the opioid epidemic these days, but did you know that the abuse of opioids has been a serious issue since before the 20th century? This is not anything new; the problem at hand, though, is that the addiction surge keeps making a comeback.
Morphine first became a way to treat chronic pain during the Civil War when injuries proved to be too painful to manage otherwise. It was 1898 when the Bayer Co. brought heroin onto the scene, and it was quickly considered a “wonder drug.”
Then, in the ‘50s and ‘60s, anesthesiologists began to open what they called “nerve block clinics,” as a way to control pain without the invasivity of surgery.
It wasn’t until the ‘70s that people started to become aware of the impact that these pharmaceuticals were having on people’s lives. Sure, they stopped the pain, but the pain was replaced by a myriad of other issues – issues that are arguably more concerning than pain.
It’s Time to Bring Your Chronic Pain Treatment into the Future
Today, we are fortunate not only to have advances in pain treatment but to have advances in mindset, as well. We are moving away from the idea that healing exists inside of one lone little capsule, and toward the idea that healing comes in the form of having a caring provider who knows how to address your individual needs.
MidSouth Pain Treatment Center is proud to offer innovative treatment options for pain that take the procedural concerns out of your healing. We are here to not only reduce your pain but to also improve your quality of life. Our team of experts will address your needs and apprehensions on an individual basis; we will never loop you into a group or forget that you are a unique person with unique needs.
As our president and medical director Dr Michael Steuer, MD, explains, “We tell people they don’t have to live with their pain. We offer proven treatment options.”
Dr Steuer and our entire team stand by this belief. We have clinics across Tennessee and Mississippi to address your needs because we know that when you are in pain, you need a convenient location to visit. Sitting still for a long car ride is the last thing you need when you are living with chronic pain.
Don’t wait any longer. You deserve to live a quality life, free from the confines of pain. You’ve suffered long enough. Call us today at 866-707-1942 to get booked at any of our branches near you in Tennessee and Mississippi.
