Staff Perspective: A Spotlight on Chronic Pain

Staff Perspective: A Spotlight on Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain is a common complaint in Service members and Veterans. Indeed over half of the Veterans returning from service in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom report chronic pain. The harsh physical stresses of the military life can leave lasting effects. Soldiers are often required to carry extremely heavy loads of equipment and gear (which can approach or exceed 100 pounds) for long periods of time. Frequent physical training and exertion can take a toll on the body. Physical discomfort is often overlooked in favor of accomplishing the mission. All of these factors (and many more, common in military life) make it easy to see how Service member and Veterans can be at risk for issues with chronic pain.

As part of the Center for Deployment Psychology’s efforts to highlight chronic pain this month, here are four great resources to learn more about the subject.

Chronic Pain and PTSD in the Military: Learn more about the frequency, causes, and effects of chronic pain in Service members and Veterans. Dr. Mary Brinkmeyer examines models that attempt to explain the comorbidity of Chronic Pain and PTSD, which often occur together, both in military and civilian life.

An Introduction to Chronic Pain in the Military and the Role of the Behavioral Health Provider: This webinar recording, led by Dr. Diana Dolan, provides an introduction to an understanding of chronic pain conditions in patients from a behavioral health perspective.

Examining and Dealing with Chronic Pain in Service Members: Dr. Mary Brinkmeyer looks at the case of a young Marine suffering from chronic pain and how this impacted him, not only physically, but also the psychological impact of it.

A Quiz on Chronic Pain Research: How much do you know about the latest research on Chronic Pain? You can find out by taking this brief quiz put together by Dr. Dave Reynolds and see how you do.

These are just a few of the resources available on the CDP’s website. If you’re looking for even more information, just head over to the Chronic Pain section of our site here.

The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.

Chris A. Adams is the Online Services Project Manager for the Center for Deployment Psychology.​