Understanding Pain In Children – with Dr. Scott Pritzlaff

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As a parent, I know that it can break your heart to see your child in pain. And while you can manage it more often than not, I bet there are times that you wish you could do more.

Then there are times when it’s hard to tell if your child is actually hurting. Does her tummy really hurt every night before bed, or is she trying to get you to stay longer? Did that little bump really cause that much pain?

I was always taught to never underestimate how much pain another person might be feeling. After all, how can you really know what someone else is experiencing? And with kids, figuring out how to best help them feel better can be complicated by how well they can communicate what they’re feeling, how we respond to them, and whatever else might be going on around the pain.

That’s why I enjoyed talking with Dr. Scott Pritzlaff in this episode. Dr. Pritzlaff is an anesthesiologist and pain specialist at Stanford University Hospital. His story is compelling in its own right—after graduating from medical school at Georgetown, he spent 5 years as an active duty Navy physician, including 3 years as a Marine flight surgeon, where caring for wounded soldiers inspired him to work in pain medicine.

This episode is a must for everyone who cares for children, as we could all learn how to better help our kids when they are hurting.

So dig in for some wise insights and tips in Episode 01 with Dr. Scott Pritzlaff.

Listen by clicking here for iTunes or play it below.

Some Questions That I Ask:

• How is pain different for kids compared to adults?
• Does the way that respond to our children’s pain affect how they understand pain and how they might interpret it in the future?
• Why do some kids fuss for the tiniest bump or bruise, while others don’t bat an eye at a raging ear infection or even a broken bone?
• What things can we do to help kids in pain besides medication alone?

In This Episode You Will Learn:

• How to care for some of the common causes of pain in kids
• Signs that you might need to go the ER when your child is in pain
• How you can determine how much pain your child might be in
• Signs that pain might be an indication of something more serious
• And much more!

Important Resources:

• Pritzlaff’s contact information – scottpritzlaffmd@gmail.com
• Wong-Baker Faces Pain Scale
• Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (courtesy of University of Wisconsin Hospitals & Clinics Authority)

Music

• Akashic Records – Motivation
• SANDR – Retrofunkfish