Dealing with chronic pain puts an undeniable strain on the strongest of relationships. Jan and her husband, Bill, who have known each other since college, have lived through five years of Jan’s debilitating back pain, which developed after she learned a new golf swing. Jan’s journey for pain relief (she has spent thousands of dollars for treatments including acupuncture, core strengthening sessions, physical therapy, Rolfing, and chiropractic care) has been incredibly hard on this athletic couple and their family.

Here, Jan and Bill open up about how divisive and isolating pain can be and what they do to bridge that divide and stay strong together. Their quotes are taken from an interview with Jan and an interview with Bill. They have been edited and combined to show two sides of one painful story. Read the rest of this entry »

After injuring her back in a car accident, Pat Skiba, 45, of Shelton, Conn., lived with the kind of pain most of us couldn’t imagine. She survived on painkillers and without sleep. Finally she forced her doctor to take her pain seriously and fought a one-woman battle to find relief Read the rest of this entry »

Low back pain is one of the most common medical complaints, so family doctors see a lot of back pain patients. But if four to six weeks of painkillers and exercise therapy doesn’t help a patient, it may be time for a specialist. Many insurance companies require that you get a referral from a family doctor or another primary care physician before they will cover the cost of a specialist. Read the rest of this entry »