Autoimmune diseases: how to manage pain

The most characteristic symptoms in autoimmune rheumatic diseases vary from person to person. It is very difficult to generalize since there are many rheumatic diseases, but most of them usually go to the rheumatologist because of pain or difficulty in moving a joint without having had any previous trauma or blow. Other frequent symptoms can be dry eyes, skin alterations or change of color in the fingers.

Frequency of occurrence of “outbreaks” in this type of disease

We do not really know all the triggers but we do know that, for example, the sun can cause a flare-up in lupus and smoking can worsen an autoimmune disease.

Psychic and physical stress, unbalanced nutrition and hormonal changes also influence our immune system. The outbreaks or crises are very variable and can occur with very different time spans depending on the person, from weeks to years.

How to learn to live with it and with the pain.

These diseases are chronic and we still do not have a cure. However, we have a very diverse therapeutic arsenal at our disposal: oral and subcutaneous pharmacology, psychological support, individualized physiotherapy and personalized dietary guidelines, which allow us to keep the disease at bay while seeking the best possible quality of life.

How to approach pain in these pathologies, to help the patient to cope better.

Always under a multidisciplinary work perspective. We must assess the biopsychosocial context of the patient and make a tailor-made suit. Once we have identified the origin of the pain, its aggravating factors and the adaptations that the patient makes in his/her daily life, we proceed to design a therapeutic plan that may include some of the measures we have mentioned above: psychology, physiotherapy, acupuncture, nutrition and pharmacology.