Chronic pain occurs as you age and is more common in older women than older men. However, you should seek advice about the coping mechanisms that can work for your condition. As such, it is advisable to consult a New Jersey Back Pain occupational therapist. Here are effective pain management strategies that can work for your condition.
Managing Pain without Medications
You can treat chronic pain at home without medications and administer different therapies that help curb pain. At the initial stages of pain, you can use hot or cold therapy by pressing a hot pad or ice on the muscles. Heat pads relieve pain by increasing blood circulation, leading to the removal of toxins and oxidation of the inflamed body parts. An ice pack wrapped in a towel offers pain relief as well as reduces any swelling that may occur.
You can opt for physical therapy activities like walking, stretching, and anaerobic activities which elevate your mood and reduce pain. When starting physical therapy, it could be wise to increase the exercise very slowly to improve mobility. Relaxation and stress management techniques such as meditation and yoga may help patients deal with chronic pain at home.
At-home massage is better suited for soft tissue injuries and might not be a great option if the pain is in the joints. You can contact pain therapists who offer alternative pain relief management such as acupuncture which involves inserting needles on specific parts of the body to relieve pain.
Medications and Surgery
If the pain does not go away with at-home remedies, you may opt for over-the-counter medications to deal with the pain. Consequently, you can ask your doctor for pain prescription medications such as opioids, and topical gels. You can also opt for nerve-blocking injections such as epidural injections on a specific body part. If the pain does not subside, you can opt for surgery as the last resort to pain management.
Suggestions on Handling Persistent Pain
When handling persistent pain, you should remember to focus on how to improve your everyday function, as well as stopping the pain. Certain symptoms might not go away. Prepare for the flare-ups that may occur, and talk yourself through the tough times. If you suffer from depression, professionals can also teach you how to cope with depression since being depressed can intensify the pain.
You should find out more about the underlying cause of the pain and learn how to manage and prevent chronic pain. Increasing the dosage of the pain medication without talking with the doctor might lead to severe side effects such as addiction to the pain medications, and building a tolerance to certain medications. As you heal it is wise to reintroduce activities that you enjoy and cut on the activities that trigger the pain. Find fun activities that do not make the pain worse and seek further coping mechanisms from the professionals at each stage of pain management.
Final Thoughts
Chronic pain can make it impossible to accomplish everyday activities. Practice at-home remedies such as massage, heat therapy, and physical therapy to deal with pain. If the pain does not improve, talk with professionals, use the correct medications, and get professional help if surgery is needed as the last resort to your pain management.