How To Treat & Manage Congenital Insensitivity To Pain (CIPA)

Congenital insensitivity to pain is an extremely rare disorder. Also called congenital analgesia, this is a condition where people are born without the ability to feel any sort of pain even though their senses are not otherwise impaired. It might sound useful to be able to retain your ability to feel everything besides uncomfortable sensations. However, it can cause a lot of problems because a person can get injured without noticing that anything is wrong. Unfortunately, there is no way to cure this condition and restore a person's ability to feel pain. Treatment for congenital insensitivity to pain relies on lifestyle changes to ensure that a person does not accidentally get hurt without realizing it.

Behavioral Therapy

Not all people with congenital insensitivity to pain have intellectual disabilities. However, the condition is commonly associated with various types of learning disabilities and behavioral disorders. Individuals who do have this sort of impairment can significantly benefit from behavioral therapy. This type of therapy can greatly improve the outlook for a child who is experiencing difficulties associated with this condition. Starting this version of therapy as early as possible in life will give a child the chance to overcome behavioral issues and improve the ability to learn. This type of therapy primary relies on identifying issues and developing strategies and coping methods for dealing with them. Though it is most effective when started early in life, regular behavioral therapy sessions can continue to provide assistance throughout adulthood.

Keep reading to discover another type of therapy that can greatly help a patient with this condition.

Occupational Therapy

Because they do not instinctively expect a pain response when they move too quickly or vigorously, children with congenital insensitivity to pain tend to have difficulty regulating their movements. They may stomp so firmly while walking that they end up with joint issues or they might fling their arms around so wildly while playing that they hit other things. Those who struggle with motor skills can benefit from occupational therapy. This form of therapy consists of a trained therapist who helps guide the child through all sorts of daily tasks. Children with congenital insensitivity to pain can learn how to feed themselves, dress themselves, play, and move around without accidentally harming themselves, their environment, or others. Occupational therapy is most useful for young children who are still developing their motor skills. However, it can also provide some benefits for adults who struggle to safely cook, drive, or do other riskier activities.

Continue reading to find out another way to treat this disorder now.

Regular Checkups And Injury Treatment

The biggest danger for people with congenital insensitivity to pain is that they will get injured without realizing it and then let the injury go untreated. Over time, minor things like a scratch on the foot may become infected and create serious problems. There is also the risk of a person getting a severe illness and not realizing it because they are not feeling any pain. The primary way of preventing these issues is with regular and thorough checkups. Each night, it is a good idea to check the body for any bruises, scratches, or cuts. People need to get a primary care physician who is knowledgeable about congenital insensitivity to pain and get frequent checkups at the doctor's office. Even small injuries should be treated as soon as possible, and any medical symptom needs to be carefully recorded and reported. Regular checkups and injury treatment are the primary way of dealing with the dangers associated with congenital insensitivity to pain.

Keep reading to learn how to prevent injuries from happening to those with congenital insensitivity to pain.

Avoiding High-Risk Activities And Contact Sports

Every time a person takes part in some sort of vigorous physical activity or contact sport, they run the risk of getting an injury. However, those with a sensitivity to pain are less likely to have serious injuries because they will slow down as soon as they get stomach pain from overexertion, flinch away from a tackle during football, or stop running after they pull a muscle. This means that people born with insensitivity to pain are at a far higher risk of getting injured. In addition to not being able to tell when they get injured, they might engage in riskier behavior because they do not fear the potential for pain. Convincing an active child to start avoiding high-risk activities and contact sports can be tricky, but it is necessary. Activities such as skateboarding, playing football, rock climbing, lacrosse, rugby, and hockey pose a significant threat to those with congenital insensitivity to pain.

Next, uncover another preventative measure for patients with this rare condition.

Avoid Extreme Temperatures

Not all patients with congenital insensitivity to pain are born without the ability to notice temperatures, so this treatment is not required for everyone. However, those who cannot differentiate between temperatures have a higher risk of receiving burns and frostbite. Those who have this form of congenital insensitivity to pain need to try to avoid extreme temperatures whenever possible. At home, it may be helpful to set the water heater to a maximum setting that will avoid burns while showering or hand washing. Those who wish to spend time outside when it is dangerously cold need to wrap up thoroughly and come indoors regularly to avoid accidental frostbite. There are countless ways that extreme temperatures come into our lives each day, so parents have to be very cautious and help their children learn to avoid any high or low temperatures. This can include simply waiting a few minutes to eat after microwaving food or not using an ice pack following an injury.