On 21 Jan, 2023, Seniors Today hosted their weekly Health Live Webinar with Dr Hemant Mehta, a leading anesthetist and pain management specialist, who spoke on and answered questions about managing chronic pain
About Dr Hemant Mehta:
Dr Hemant Mehta is the Head of the Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Management at Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre. He specialises in the management of high risk patients and conducting painless deliveries. He is a specialist in all types of Regional Anaesthesia and Blocks. With experience of over three decades, Dr Mehta holds the world record for anesthetising a 300kg patient at Breach Candy Hospital – this patient was managed under Epidural Anaesthesia by joining two Operation tables. The patient had been declared unfit at Dubai, Bangkok and London. Dr Mehta has been a faculty member and speaker at many national and international conferences such as- a conference on ‘Endoscopy – Scope and future’ and for All India Conference on ‘Minimal Access Surgery – Status in India’ by Indian Association of Gastrointestinal Endo Surgeons (IAGES) in 2002, Regional Conference on Anaesthesiology, Critical Care And Pain Management, 2003, a symposium on pain management in 2004, faculty member and panel discussion member on Anesthetic Implications In Laparoscopic & Thoracoscopic Surgeries at B.Y.L. Nair Hospital, faculty member and speaker for symposium on ‘Diabetes and Pregnancy’ at Wadia Hospital, and at a symposium on ‘Anaesthesia for laparoscopy’ at KEM Hospital. His vast experience as a freelance anaesthesiologist includes:
- Managing large numbers of coronary bypass and open heart surgeries
- Large numbers of kidney transplant operations under epidural anaesthesia
- More than 15000 cases of painless delivery
- Many high risk cases and complex nerve blocks for management of chronic pain.
As high as 85% of the elderly population suffers from pain and out of which 66% is suffering from lower back pain.
The various factors that play a role in pain are:
- Age
- Gender
- Poor posture
- Vitamin D and calcium deficiencies
- Dietary factors
- Physical activity
- Hydration
- Spine care, back care and back strengthening
Common causes for chronic pain are:
- Kidney stones
- Lifting heavy weights/ object in an incorrect manner
- Sleeping incorrectly- such as individuals who tend to sleep on their back invariable tend to develop coccydynia- which is commonly called tailbone pain
- Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis
- Other degenerative disorders- these are easily preventable, provided we take good care of ourselves
- Muscle spasms
- Knee pain
Simple things that you can include in your routine to avoid chronic pain:
- Simple exercises to keep yourself moving and increasing your mobility, such as walking, yoga, stretching
- Maintaining good posture- right from your younger days
- Healthy diet- rich in various nutrients, regularly taking your multivitamin and calcium supplements
- A minimum of 30 minutes of exposure to the sun light, to ensure your body gets its natural and rich source of vitamin D
People who are a higher risk of chronic pain are:
- Older people
- Women nearing/ in their menopausal period
- Smokers, chronic alcoholics
Management of pain does not simply mean taking analgesics. Analgesics simply mask the pain while the damage continues. This is when Pain Physicians come into picture, to help you diagnose the cause of your pain, to educate you about the cause of your pain and to counsel you and the caregivers.
They counsel you about modifiable factors, lifestyle changes while also ensuring that you require as little assistance of analgesics to alleviate your pain and to develop your basic strength in a way that your pain subsides and your pain settles and you have a good, pain free life.
