Learning About Making a Plan for Managing Chronic Pain

How can you plan for managing your pain?

You and your doctor will work to make your plan. Your plan can include more than one type of pain control. You may take prescription or over-the-counter drugs. You can also use physical treatments, like massage and acupuncture. Other things can help too, such as meditation or a type of counseling to change how you think about your pain.

It's important to let your doctor know how your pain is affecting your life. The goal of a pain management plan isn't to totally get rid of pain. Instead, the goal is to control the pain enough so that daily activities are easier.

If your pain isn't controlled well enough, talk with your doctor. You may need to make a new plan. Or your doctor may refer you to a specialist.

Sample pain management plan

Here is an example of a pain management plan. You can work with your doctor to complete it.

My Goals

Example: "Control pain long enough to walk the dog each day" or "Reduce or stop taking pain medicines by the end of summer."

1. ________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________

My Non-Medicine Strategies

Example: "Complete my physical therapy exercises each day" or "Do yoga twice a week."

1. ________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________

My Medicines That Help With Pain

Include prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

1. Medicine: ______________________
   • How much to take: ______________________________
   • How often to take it: ______________________________
   • Other instructions: ______________________________
2. Medicine: ______________________
   • How much to take: ______________________________
   • How often to take it: ______________________________
   • Other instructions: ______________________________

My Next Steps

If I'm not meeting my goals, my doctor recommends:

• ________________________________________________
• ________________________________________________
• ________________________________________________