Unconventional Methods of Chronic Pain Management

 

Pain isn’t just a fleeting feeling, or discomfort, it's way more than that, it has the ability to encapsulate you in a shell, make you dysfunctional and affect you greatly in every aspect of life. Acute pains happen to all of us, they come and go in matter of days or at most weeks. But chronic pain is the elevated version of acute pains, it hardly subsides, lasts beyond 6 months and affects us even more strongly than its lighter version. Chronic pains can cause severe depression, anxiety disorders and other mental disorders. You can also have many other health issues, which a doctor can tell you about after analysing how much pain you experience. Chronic pain management can only be done when you recognize that you have one, that would be the first step.

There are various ways to recognise that you are suffering from chronic pain and you need to consult a doctor for chronic pain treatment. Firstly, if you pain hasn’t diminished for more than 2-4 weeks. If that pain is hindering you from performing daily, normal chores like exercising, job, sleeping, relaxing and even sitting. If the pain is causing you depression, feelings of hopelessness are washing over you and if you feel stressed and anxious due to the constant pain suffering. Lastly, go see a doctor if you have taken various medications but all in vain. Living with chronic pain can take a real toll on your mental, emotional and physical health, so don’t try to live with it, try to wrestle it and defeat it.

There are basically two main types of pains- nociceptive and neuropathic. The former pain is a response sent out by our nervous system when we are in danger, like when we touch a hot iron or a sprained ankle pain forces us to rest so that the body can heal. The latter pain is different as it's not beneficial for us at all, it happens when the signals that pass between the spinal cord, nerve cells and brain are misread. This can be the result of nerve damage that causes the brain to interpret these signals as pain. There are many ways to for chronic pain management and we are going to look into them in detail in this article.

If you’re tired of eating pain killers and other over-the-counter medications but haven’t found any long term relief then it's time to try some unconventional methods of treating chronic pain.

1.      Acupuncture

In this process, needles about the width of your hair strand are inserted into the many acupuncture points of your body to relieve pain and treat chronic pain. This is an ancient Chinese practise, where these tiny needles are left in the body for 40-60 mins, in this time the needles stimulate the body to release its own painkillers that help dwindling the pain. You might have to take several sessions of acupuncture before witnessing some relief. The best part is that if it doesn’t work for you, it won’t harm you in any way as well. People with sport injuries, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and headaches and backaches have found significant relief through this process.  

2.      Exercise

Now this isn’t really a treatment but more like a way of life, regular exercise and physical activity has great benefits for you over being healthy and one must exercise at least 30 mins daily. Chronic pain management can be done breaking the vicious cycle of immobility. Let the blood run through your veins, drive that heart rate up and sweat all you can to so that your body releases those much-needed endorphins. You’ll feel much better after a workout. It will make you happy about your day, improve sleep quality, strengthen muscles, raise joint mobility and will eventually help the pain as well. Try gentle exercises like walking, cycling, skipping rope, swimming or cardio.

3.      Marijuana

If we set aside the stigma attached to marijuana, it has been proven that marijuana which is also known as cannabis has some medicinal properties that can help relieve nerve pain and as we have established this fact before that chronic pain is in fact caused by damaged nerves. It has shown good results in managing serious illnesses like cancer or multiple sclerosis. Several USA states have laws that permit the use of marijuana due to its good report and various medicinal properties that can help chronic pain treatment. Although there are many risks involved in the usage of this substance like addiction and psychosis, FDA has allowed the usage of pharmaceutical cannabinoids for only those people who suffer from retching and nausea after a chemotherapy session and HIV-aids related weight loss. Before having marijuana, please check on your state’s policies for it.

4.      Cold and Heat Compress

Cold and hot compress are cornerstones of pain relief and have been a constant companion of many people. A cold compress is used immediately after an injury or when a pain suddenly bursts up, as it helps numbing the pain, narrows blood vessels and reduces inflammation and swelling. On the other hand, hot compress can be used till several days, weeks or even months after the injury, it increases the blood flow by expanding the blood vessels and it soothes tensed muscles. You can drive heat from a wheat bag, hot water bottles or even from a piece of cloth which can be heated with iron. Do cold or hot compress for 15 mins, several times a day to have effective results.

5.      Yoga

Yoga has been a go-to way for achieving peace and relaxation by doing poses that involve deep breathing and meditation. It has been practiced for hundreds and thousands of years and we have just recently discovered its influence on the overall health. It refines the balance, flexibility, strength and posture of a person. People suffering from chronic conditions like osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and back pain have found relief in yoga and meditation.

Ending Lines

Around 40% of the American see a doctor due to their long suffering from chronic pain. It is a major health issue which can be treated with healthy life changes and unconventional methods mentioned above.

 

 

 

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