Health

By Andrius Giedraitis, MD
Pain Management, Blanchard Valley Pain Management

Chronic pain: A persistent challenge
Chronic pain is a complex and often debilitating condition that affects more than 50 million Americans nationwide. Unlike acute pain, which serves as your body’s alarm system responding to injury or illness and then typically subsides as the underlying issue heals, chronic pain lingers for an extended period, often lasting for months or years. It can manifest from head to toe, including persistent headaches and neck pain to neuropathic pain in your feet and anywhere in between. If left unchecked, chronic pain significantly impacts a person’s quality of life. It is important to understand that chronic pain is not merely a symptom but a distinct medical condition that requires comprehensive management.

Root causes and complex cases
Chronic pain can result from a myriad of underlying causes, including injury, illness, or conditions like arthritis and neuropathy. The complexity arises from the fact that often, people with chronic pain have multiple other health ailments that must be navigated and considered. Given the complexity many patients in the community may present, a pain management team uses various diagnostic tools including MRI, X-rays, physical maneuvers, and other specialized examinations to identify the cause(s) of people’s pain.

By Missy Moore, APRN-CNM, APRN-CNP
Midwifery, Blanchard Valley Obstetrics & Gynecology

Although midwives have been around for hundreds of years, the term midwife is one that not many are able to clearly define. There is often confusion surrounding the many types of midwives and the span of roles a midwife might play. 

Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNM) are highly trained providers who first are educated and trained as registered nurses, then choose to attend accredited universities, followed by passing a midwifery board-certified examination. CNMs also must maintain their licensures every five years by completing a number of continuing education requirements. In Ohio, CNMs work in collaboration with physicians and deliver babies in hospitals and birth centers. In contrast, lay midwives learn their skills through apprenticeship and are not legally recognized by the state they practice in and deliver babies in homes.