• Careers
  • Education
  • Research
Ochsner Health Ochsner Health
  • About
  • Find A Doctor (current)
  • Find A Location
  • Specialties & Treatments
MyOchsner Logo
Login | Signup
Submit Search
Close Search
  •   Home
  • In To Your Health...
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
  • I need to...
  • Find A Doctor
  • Find A Location
  • Find A Specialty
  • Schedule An Appointment
  • Pay A Bill
  • Explore
  • About Ochsner
  • Careers
  • Patients & Visitors
  • "To Your Health" Blog
  • Health Resources
  • Medical Professionals
  • Education
  • Philanthropy
  • Community Outreach
  • Research
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Schedule an Appointment
  • Call: 1-866-624-7637
  • Online: Login to MyOchsner
  • Personalize your content
  • patient Edit Persona Persona Chooser
To Your Health

View Newsletter Editions
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
Wrist pain

Coronavirus Advice for Chronic Pain Patients

Apr 28, 2020 |
By Maged Guirguis, MD
Share Facebook Logo Twitter Logo Pinterest Logo Email Logo

Most people infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment, but serious complications of COVID-19 are most likely to develop in elderly people as well as those who have weakened immune systems.

During these uncertain times, it might not be easy to see doctor to receive immediate medical attention. Chronic pain affects 50 million people in the United States alone. Chronic pain causes significant suffering, limitation of daily activities, and reduced quality of life. Chronic pain sufferers can experience increased risks of anxiety and depression and an overall reduction in their quality of life.

Below are some ways to help cope with chronic pain conditions (back, neck, or joints) during the COVID-19 crisis.

Self-management strategies

  • Activity restriction or modifications: You will need to determine what your limitations are. For example, lie down for 10 minutes every two hours, or maybe you find you can go for a 30-minute walk, but you need to allow 30 minutes of rest before and afterward. Perhaps you need a standing desk instead of a seated one to work at your computer comfortably
  • Diet and nutrition: A balanced diet is key to maintaining a healthy weight and getting important nutrients that support your overall well-being.
  • Exercise: As difficult as it can be to get yourself moving when you have chronic pain, it is also extremely important. Any exercise, no matter how minimal, is better than nothing at all — just do the best you can.
  • Sleep hygiene: Establish a routine, create a restful environment, and minimize day napping.

Tips to deal with increased anxiety

Many chronic pain sufferers experience an increase in pain levels correlated with higher stress and anxiety levels. During the COVID-19 outbreak, anxiety levels can rise increasing insomnia and pain.

  • Practicing meditation: Partaking in relaxation activities with deep breathing exercises can help manage anxiety, improve function and reduce pain.
  • Virtual Visits: Our pain management physicians are available for virtual visits to discuss methods like mood-stabilizing that can help reduce both your anxiety and pain levels.

Tips to avoid isolation

  • Communicate: Be intentional about calling, video chatting, and other means of interaction with your loved ones.
  • Try online learning: Why not learn a second language or new skills you have been wanting to learn in the past?
  • Rediscover: Take time to rediscover the things you may have overlooked like your front porch while maintaining social distance.

Creativity as a practice to help cope with chronic pain

When we suffer from chronic pain, we may lose the ability to work or socialize, which can increase the sense of loneliness and helplessness. To counteract those feelings, we need to get creative.

Everyone can nurture their inner creativity. Even if you don’t have an art form you’ve mastered or a craft you’ve practiced for years, it is possible to cultivate creativity (such as cooking or knitting).

Connect with your doctor from the comfort of your home

  • Rather than heading into a doctor’s office, you can share symptoms and ask questions via MyOchsner, all while reducing potential exposure to the coronavirus.
  • It does not matter if you haven’t seen a pain physician before, you are now able to see our pain physicians as a new patient.
  • If you are on some type of medication, you should be able to get your prescription filled or refilled via telemedicine. With the current coronavirus declared as a public health emergency, providers can prescribe certain medications via telemedicine.

For more information about various procedures and resources on mindfulness, nutrition and more, visit us online at Ochsner Pain Management.

We are seeing current and new patients virtually via smartphone and tablet through our MyChart app. To request an appointment, login to your MyChart app or visit my.ochsner.org, and find an available time that works for you. Our staff will call you to confirm the appointment and walk you through the steps to prepare for your virtual visit.

The information in this blog post is accurate at the time of publication. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to change, it's possible that information has changed since being published. While Ochsner Health is trying to keep our blog posts as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations by using the CDC website.

Sign up for your MyOchsner account here or give us a call at 866-624-7637, to book a virtual visit.

Tags
coronavirus
chronic pain

You may also be interested in:

Heart patients coronavirus information
Conditions & Treatment
Mar 26, 2020

Coronavirus Information for Heart Patients

What experts have observed concerning the coronavirus and heart disease patients including risk, symptoms, and what to do if you think you may have the virus.
Woman thinking
Conditions & Treatment
Mar 23, 2020

Coronavirus Advice for Cancer Patients

With the concerns about transmission of COVID-19, we aim to deliver the best cancer care while asking you to physically be at one of our facilities only when it is necessary: procedures/surgeries to diagnose or fight your cancer, radiation treatments, imaging studies or lab tests that will help plan or determine response to treatments.

Comments about the blog? Send us an email!

Ochsner Health Ochsner Health

Schedule An Appointment: 1-866-624-7637

Follow us: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram YouTube Pinterest

Healthy living tips, delivered weekly to your inbox.

Patients & Visitors

  • Billing & Financial Services
  • Insurance Information
  • International Patients
  • Request Medical Records
  • Share Your Story
  • Read Patient Stories

Medical Professionals

  • Transfer a Patient
  • Refer a Patient

Health Resources

  • To Your Health Blog
  • Golden Opportunity
  • Hello Health Seminars
  • Ochsner Magazine

Job Seekers

  • Career Paths
  • Benefits
  • Open Positions

Employees

  • Webmail
  • OHSLink
  • Workday

Employers

  • Corporate Wellness
  • Medicare Advantage Plans

Community Outreach

  • Classes & Events
  • Programs
  • Community Health Needs Assessment
  • Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy

Education

  • Graduate Medical Education
  • Clinical Medical Education
  • Continuing Medical Education
  • Medical Library
  • Publishing Services
  • Medical Illustrations

Research

  • Clinical Trials
  • Applied Health Services Research
  • Clinical Research & Trials
  • Nursing Research
  • Translational Research

Giving

  • Donate
  • Volunteer

About Ochsner

  • Mission & Vision
  • History
  • Annual Report
  • Outcomes & Honors
  • News & Media
  • Alumni
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Contact Us

Shop

  • O Bar
  • Optical Shop
  • Ochsner Fitness Center
  • Brent House Hotel

© Ochsner Health  | Notice of Privacy Practices | Terms of Use | Vendor Information

Ochsner accepts all major insurances.

Ochsner is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, founded on providing the best patient care, research, and education.

We are one of the country’s largest non-university based academic medical centers.

Ochsner is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Community Needs Health Assessment

EpicMobile Tablet | EpicMobile Phone

Healthy Living Tips, Delivered Right To Your Inbox

* indicates required


Must Reads
Food and Fitness
Men’s Health
Parenting
Women’s Health

Source:
Source Description:
Marketing Goal:


Get Weekly Health Tips

Select the weekly newsletters you'd like to receive.

Please select at least one category to continue.

Curious about our newsletters?

View details for each edition

Let us know where to send your weekly newsletters.

To Your Health- Food and Fitness:
To Your Health- General:
To Your Health- Men’s Health:
To Your Health- Parenting:
To Your Health- Women’s Health:

Source:
Source Description:
Marketing Goal:

You're all set!

We’ll send newsletters full of healthy living tips right to your inbox every week.

Ochsner Health System
ESC to Close

Begin Typing to Search

Select the drop-down to filter Search by Blog Articles or Sitewide