The Link Between Depression and Chronic Pain

The real and complex link between depression and chronic pain shows just how interconnected your body is. Though the medical community is still learning more about the connection of these two conditions, many people continue to suffer and feel more alone than ever.

At New Tampa Interventional Pain & Sports Medicine, our pain management specialist, Jose De La Torre, MD, offers comprehensive care for both depression and chronic pain symptoms that are spiraling out of control. Dr. De La Torre takes an integrative, whole-person approach to care to ensure you’re able to thrive physically and mentally.

Why depression and chronic pain often go hand-in-hand

Depression is a mental health condition that causes persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness. These feelings aren’t something you can just “get over” and if left untreated, your symptoms can progress to more serious issues like self-harm and thoughts of suicide.

Chronic pain describes persistent pain that lasts longer than six months, even with treatment. This type of pain can result after a traumatic injury, because of degenerative diseases like osteoarthritis, or because of chronic inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.

When you live with chronic pain, it can alter every aspect of your life and significantly increase your risk for developing depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. When you’re limited by your ongoing pain, it can cause feelings of isolations or low self-esteem, which also contribute to depression.

There’s also an underlying biological link between chronic pain and depression. When you’re constantly in pain, the areas of your brain that respond to stress light up and cause your body to stay in fight-or-flight mode. Your brain floods your body with adrenaline, and your body is always in a high-alert state.

Understanding which came first

The deep connection between depression and chronic pain can make it difficult to determine which came first. In fact, many times the determination of which condition triggered the other is impossible to make.

Your chronic pain might start first. This pain can lead to a depression that also exacerbates your pain, triggering a vicious cycle that becomes more difficult to manage.

When you’re no longer able to control your pain or severe depressive symptoms with conventional treatments, you can find help with our team at New Tampa Interventional Pain & Sports Medicine.

Strategies to manage chronic pain and depression

Your treatment plan for chronic pain and depression symptoms will depend on your unique needs and the underlying cause of your pain.

Dr. De La Torre might start treating your pain first to make your other symptoms more manageable. We offer a variety of chronic pain treatments in-office, including medications and interventional pain therapies like nerve blocks and cortisone injections. You might also be a candidate for in-office anesthesia treatments that provide long-lasting relief of back pain and nerve pain.

To help you manage symptoms of depression you can’t treat with traditional antidepressants, Dr. De La Torre can use ketamine infusions to get your symptoms under control. Ketamine is an anesthetic medication typically used during surgery. In low doses, ketamine offers brain-boosting benefits that relieve depression symptoms.

The effects of ketamine on your brain

Carefully controlled doses of ketamine help form new neural pathways in your brain. These connections help regulate your brain’s activity and can quickly relieve moderate-to-severe symptoms of depression.

Generally, you can expect to receive a series of infusions to maximize your results. Many people notice an immediate reduction in their symptoms soon after treatment, and their results continue to improve over time.

If you’re no longer able to manage your pain and depression on your own, rely on the expertise of our team for help. You can schedule a consultation online, or you can call New Tampa Interventional Pain & Sports Medicine today.