Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain is an Invisible Illness



Invisible Illnesses have a devastating impact on people’s lives – the lives of those suffering from them and those of their family and loved ones.

For those not familiar with the term, invisible illnesses are illnesses where there is no apparent physical manifestation of the illness – the person suffering  “looks normal”, despite what they are experiencing. Examples of invisible Illnesses include multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, autism, migraines, chronic back pain, cancer and mental illness and depression.

Since I work exclusively with people in chronic muscle and joint pain, many of my own clients experience what it’s like to have an invisible illness.   Because people can’t see their pain, others do not appreciate the depth of their suffering and disability.  Often people will come to the conclusion that 'it's all in their head' or they are exaggerating for attention when this is far from the case.

Invisible illnesses can create problems in the relationships of the chronic pain sufferer – particularly with their spouse and family.  Because the spouse can’t see the pain, they can’t understand why the sufferer is running around seeing different physicians, taking tests and spending money when none of it seems to help.  It can get to the point where the spouse becomes ‘fed up’ and thinks that ‘enough is enough’.  The spouse rightly feels that they have needs too and their needs are not being met.

If the chronic pain problem is not resolved, these family issues can continue for many years.  After years of struggling and feeling helpless, the spouse may have moments where they have thoughts like. “That’s it!  Why don’t you just live with your pain?”  This can easily lead to self recriminations where the spouse feels guilty for thinking such thoughts towards their spouse.

The spouse may want to help the sufferer but feels there is nothing they can do.  They are seeing the sufferer constantly in pain, but realize that they themselves also deserve happiness and a life of their own.

What can be done to help interrupt these destructive dynamics is to recognize that chronic pain affects the entire family and acknowledge that family members also have needs which must be addressed.  For example:
  • The spouse of a chronic pain sufferer cannot spend 24 hours per day, seven days a week being consumed in their spouse’s pain.  They need a break and they too are struggling.  They also need support.
  • The spouse needs to do things to nurture them self, such as getting a facial, having lunch with a friend, or simply taking a long walk.
  • The spouse may need to seek the help of a trusted counselor for ideas on how to handle the overwhelming psychological issues that may arise from living with someone in chronic pain.
Because of the impact that the often invisible illness of chronic pain has on families, in addition to treating the patient, I generally also have a consultation with the patient and spouse together.  The three of us address all the issues and concerns at the beginning of the therapy so that the spouse will be able to take a supportive (not co-dependent) role in the recovery of the chronic pain sufferer.  The key to healing for the entire family is open communication and a non-threatening environment.

In honor of both Invisible Illness Week (September 14-20) and National Pain Awareness Month in September, I have donated 500 e-versions of my book, Forever Free From Chronic Pain, to Citizens for a World Free From Chronic Pain.  This group, created to inform the millions of people who have been searching in vain for an answer to end their chronic pain that they do not have to accept drugs or pain management as the only solution, is giving this book away to chronic pain sufferers and their families through the month of September. For details, visit: http://bit.ly/16cJsX
To learn more about the virtual conference being held for Invisible Illness week, please visit:  http://www.invisibleillnessweek.com.


Professor/Dr. Brian A. Rothbart
Chronic Pain Elimination Specialist
Discovered the Rothbarts Foot and PreClinical Clubfoot Deformity
Developer of Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy
Designer of Rothbart Proprioceptive Insoles
Founder of International Academy of Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy

Sign Up Now to get a free chapter from my book, Forever Free From Chronic Pain
Author of Forever Free From Chronic Pain

Posted by rothbart at 9/5/2009 5:28 PM
Categories: Education
Tags: Chronic Muscle and Joint pain National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week invisible illness
 

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