9 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PAIN

1. Pain is output from the brain.While we used to believe that pain originated within the tissues of our body, we now understand that pain does not exist until the brain determines it does. The brain uses a virtual “road map” to direct an output of pain to tissues that it suspects may be in danger. This process acts as a means of communication between the brain and the tissues of the body, to serve as a defense against possible injury or disease.

2. The degree of injury does not always equal the degree of pain.Research has demonstrated that we all experience pain in individual ways. While some of us experience major injuries with little pain, others experience minor injuries with a lot of pain (think of a paper cut).

3. Despite what diagnostic imaging (MRIs, x-rays, CT scans) shows us, the finding may not be the cause of your pain. A study performed on individuals 60 years or older who had no symptoms of low back pain found that 36% had a herniated disc, 21% had spinal stenosis, and more than 90% had a degenerated or bulging disc, upon diagnostic imaging.

4. Psychological factors, such as depression and anxiety, can make your pain worse. Pain can be influenced by many different factors, such as psychological conditions. A recent study in the Journal of Pain showed that psychological variables that existed prior to a total knee replacement were related to a patient's experience of long-term pain following the operation.

5. Your social environment may influence your perception of pain. Many patients state their pain increases when they are at work or in a stressful situation. Pain messages can be generated when an individual is in an environment or situation that the brain interprets as unsafe. It is a fundamental form of self-protection.

6. Understanding pain through education may reduce your need for care.A large study conducted with military personnel demonstrated that those who were given a 45-minute educational session about pain sought care for low back pain less than their counterparts.

7. Our brains can be tricked into developing pain in prosthetic limbs. Studies have shown that our brains can be tricked into developing a "referred" sensation in a limb that has been amputated, causing a feeling of pain that seems to come from the prosthetic limb – or from the "phantom" limb. The sensation is generated by the association of the brain's perception of what the body is from birth (whole and complete) and what it currently is (post-amputation).

8. The ability to determine left from right may be altered when you experience pain. Networks within the brain that assist you in determining left from right can be affected when you experience severe pain. If you have been experiencing pain, and have noticed your sense of direction is a bit off, it may be because a "roadmap" within the brain that details a path to each part of the body may be a bit "smudged." (This is a term we use to describe a part of the brain's virtual roadmap that isn’t clear. Imagine spilling ink onto part of a roadmap and then trying to use that map to get to your destination.)

9. There is no way of knowing whether you have a high tolerance for pain or not. Science has yet to determine whether we all experience pain in the same way. While some people claim to have a "high tolerance" for pain, there is no accurate way to measure or compare pain tolerance among individuals. While some tools exist to measure how much force you can resist before experiencing pain, it can’t be determined what your pain "feels like."

CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT YOUR HEALTHCARE MIGHT COST?

https://fairhealthconsumer.org

is a website endorsed by the APTA to help individuals exactly like you guys to help guess-timate the cost of healthcare. It can be expensive, and we know that. CHAMPION offers a self-pay option to individuals with Kansas State insurance plans that allows you to pay a reasonable price out-of-pocket instead of utilizing your insurance benefits.

Call us with more questions regarding this opportunity using the phone number on our main webpage. 

REDUCING THE SPREAD OF ILLNESS IN CHILD CARE

Whenever children are together, there is a chance of spreading infections. This is especially true among infants and toddlers who are likely to use their hands to wipe their noses or rub their eyes and then handle toys or touch other children. These children then touch their noses and rub their eyes so the virus goes from the nose or eyes of one child by way of hands or toys to the next child who then rubs his own eyes or nose. And children get sick a lot in the first several years of life as their bodies are building immunity to infections.

In many child care facilities, the staff simply cannot care for a sick child due to space or staff limitations, although in others, the child can be kept comfortable and allowed to rest as needed in a separate area of the room where they have already exposed the other children. When waiting to be picked up, an ill child who is being excluded should be in a location when no contact occurs with those who have not already been exposed to their infection. Often, it is best for the child not to be moved to another space to prevent their illness from spreading throughout the facility and to maintain good supervision of the child. In some programs, a staff member who knows the child well and who is trained to care for ill children may care for the child to a space set aside for such care and where others will not be exposed. If the child requires minimal care for a condition that doesn't require exclusion, there may a place for the child to lie down while remaining within sight of a staff member when the child needs to rest. In some communities, special sick child care centers have been established for children with mild illnesses who cannot participate or need more care than the staff can provide in the child's usual care setting.

Even with all these prevention measures, it is likely that some infections will be spread in the child care center. For many of these infections, a child is contagious a day or more before he has symptoms. Be sure to wash your and your child's hands frequently. You never know when your child or another child is passing a virus or bacteria. Sometimes your child will become sick while at child care and need to go home. You will need to have a plan so someone can pick him up.

Fortunately, not all illnesses are contagious (e.g., ear infections). In these cases, there's no need to separate your sick child from the other children. Most medications can be scheduled to be given only at home. If your child needs medication during the day, be sure that the facility has clear procedures and staff who have training to give medication. Ask what they do to be sure they have the right child, receiving the right medication, at the right time, by the right route and in the right dose – and document each dose. 

Measures to Promote Good Hygiene in Child Care:

To reduce the risk of disease in child care settings as well as schools, the facility should meet certain criteria that promote good hygiene. For example:

• Are there sinks in every room, and are there separate sinks for preparing food and washing hands? Is food handled in areas separate from the toilets and diaper-changing tables?

• Are the toilets and sinks clean and readily available for the children and staff? Are disposable paper towels used so each child will use only his own towel and not share with others?

• Are toys that infants and toddlers put in their mouths sanitized before others can play with them?

• Are all doors and cabinet handles, drinking fountains, all surfaces in the toileting and diapering areas cleaned and disinfected at the end of every day?

• Are all changing tables and any potty chairs cleaned and disinfected after each use? 

• Are staff and other children fully immunized, especially against the flu?

• Is food brought in from home properly stored?  Is food prepared on site properly handled?

• Is breast milk labeled and stored correctly?

• Are children and their caregivers or teachers instructed to wash their hands throughout the day, including: 

  • When they arrive at the facility 

  • Before and after handling food, feeding a child, or eating 

  • After using the toilet, changing a diaper, or helping a child use the bathroom (Following a diaper change, the caregiver's and child's hands should be washed and the diaper-changing surfaces should be disinfected.) 

  • After helping a child wipe his nose or mouth or tending to a cut or sore 

  • After playing in sandboxes 

  • Before and after playing in water that is used by other children 

  • Before and after staff members give medicine to a child 

  • After handling wastebaskets or garbage 

  • After handling a pet or other animal

• Make sure your own child understands good hygiene and the importance of hand washing after using the toilet and before and after eating.

• Is health consultation available to deal with outbreaks or to review policies?

REDUCING THE SPREAD OF ILLNESS IN CHILDREN

Whenever children are together, there is a chance of spreading infections. This is especially true among infants and toddlers who are likely to use their hands to wipe their noses or rub their eyes and then handle toys or touch other children. These children then touch their noses and rub their eyes so the virus goes from the nose or eyes of one child by way of hands or toys to the next child who then rubs his own eyes or nose. And children get sick a lot in the first several years of life as their bodies are building immunity to infections.

In many child care facilities, the staff simply cannot care for a sick child due to space or staff limitations, although in others, the child can be kept comfortable and allowed to rest as needed in a separate area of the room where they have already exposed the other children. When waiting to be picked up, an ill child who is being excluded should be in a location when no contact occurs with those who have not already been exposed to their infection. Often, it is best for the child not to be moved to another space to prevent their illness from spreading throughout the facility and to maintain good supervision of the child. In some programs, a staff member who knows the child well and who is trained to care for ill children may care for the child to a space set aside for such care and where others will not be exposed. If the child requires minimal care for a condition that doesn't require exclusion, there may a place for the child to lie down while remaining within sight of a staff member when the child needs to rest. In some communities, special sick child care centers have been established for children with mild illnesses who cannot participate or need more care than the staff can provide in the child's usual care setting.

Even with all these prevention measures, it is likely that some infections will be spread in the child care center. For many of these infections, a child is contagious a day or more before he has symptoms. Be sure to wash your and your child's hands frequently. You never know when your child or another child is passing a virus or bacteria. Sometimes your child will become sick while at child care and need to go home. You will need to have a plan so someone can pick him up.

Fortunately, not all illnesses are contagious (e.g., ear infections). In these cases, there's no need to separate your sick child from the other children. Most medications can be scheduled to be given only at home. If your child needs medication during the day, be sure that the facility has clear procedures and staff who have training to give medication. Ask what they do to be sure they have the right child, receiving the right medication, at the right time, by the right route and in the right dose – and document each dose. 

Measures to Promote Good Hygiene in Child Care:

To reduce the risk of disease in child care settings as well as schools, the facility should meet certain criteria that promote good hygiene. For example:

• Are there sinks in every room, and are there separate sinks for preparing food and washing hands? Is food handled in areas separate from the toilets and diaper-changing tables?

• Are the toilets and sinks clean and readily available for the children and staff? Are disposable paper towels used so each child will use only his own towel and not share with others?

• Are toys that infants and toddlers put in their mouths sanitized before others can play with them?

• Are all doors and cabinet handles, drinking fountains, all surfaces in the toileting and diapering areas cleaned and disinfected at the end of every day?

• Are all changing tables and any potty chairs cleaned and disinfected after each use? 

• Are staff and other children fully immunized, especially against the flu?

• Is food brought in from home properly stored?  Is food prepared on site properly handled?

• Is breast milk labeled and stored correctly?

• Are children and their caregivers or teachers instructed to wash their hands throughout the day, including: 

  • When they arrive at the facility 

  • Before and after handling food, feeding a child, or eating 

  • After using the toilet, changing a diaper, or helping a child use the bathroom (Following a diaper change, the caregiver's and child's hands should be washed and the diaper-changing surfaces should be disinfected.) 

  • After helping a child wipe his nose or mouth or tending to a cut or sore 

  • After playing in sandboxes 

  • Before and after playing in water that is used by other children 

  • Before and after staff members give medicine to a child 

  • After handling wastebaskets or garbage 

  • After handling a pet or other animal

• Make sure your own child understands good hygiene and the importance of hand washing after using the toilet and before and after eating.

• Is health consultation available to deal with outbreaks or to review policies?