Many people live with some type of pain, whether short-term or chronic in nature. It can affect your quality of life substantially, causing you to lose out on work and be unable to do the things that you want to
For some people, the thought of taking strong medication isn’t something that they want to do, especially if their pain is likely to be a long-term issue. Or perhaps you’re looking for other pain relief techniques to work alongside treatments by your doctor.
Here are some techniques you can try in order to relieve your pain and help you.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
A TENS machine is a small battery-operated unit that is connected to sticky electrodes which you place on the area of your body that is in pain. You then pass an electric current through the pads which can interrupt the pain signal being sent to the brain. It can also trigger the production of endorphins in the body, which are natural pain relievers.
When using a TENS machine on the correct level, then you may feel a tingling and a sensation of the muscles tensing up. If you’re finding it painful, then you’re using it in a setting that is too high.
It is often used for arthritis pain, sports injuries, knee injuries, period pain, and during labor. Always check that it’s safe to use on a particular area before you start with TENS treatment as there are some areas you should never use them.
CBD Products
There has been a huge uptake in the number of people across the world using cannabidiol (CBD) oil for a vast number of conditions including anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain. CBD oil is made from the same plant as cannabis but without the part of the plant that gives you the ‘high’ which is why it is legal in most places now.
CBD is available in a number of different forms including drops, cream, vapes, and edibles. Many people use a combination of different types to get the right relief. For example, vapes work quicker, but the effects don’t last as long as edibles.
If you live in a state where cannabis is legal, or medicinal cannabis is available, this is also an option for some types of chronic pain. Like CBD, it is available in a variety of forms as well as the more traditional cigarettes. You can learn more about a blunt versus a joint to see which will work better for you if that’s what you want to try.
Hot and cold therapy
Muscle and joint aches respond well to some traditional treatments too. In general, if you’ve experienced an injury or a flare-up, ice will help relieve the swelling and inflammation for the first 24 hours. After this, hot compresses can help deal with the pain by relaxing the area.
Keeping active
It’s natural to want to stop most activities when you’re in pain. If you’re in a lot of pain, this can help in the short term, but staying active should be a priority. Research has shown that reduced mobility can cause further issues with pain as well as have a detrimental effect on your mental health too. A good exercise to try is yoga, swimming, and stationary cycling.
Physical therapy
Trained physical therapists are experts in helping you to identify pain and help relieve it through a range of movements and exercises. They can also give you advice on how to manage your condition and adjust your lifestyle. There are many types of physical therapists who specialize in treating certain types of issues or traumatic injury, seniors, and pre and post-natal care.
Yoga
The practise of yoga has been used for thousands of years, and with good reason, it works. Yoga is a great way to improve your overall health as well as keep your muscles and joints mobilized and healthy. Many people have put off yoga because they think that it’s all headstands and folding yourself up into weird positions but there is a type of yoga for every level, so give it a try.
Acupuncture
Invented in China thousands of years ago, acupuncture is used to treat a range of pain and illnesses including migraines, arthritis, IBS, chronic pain, and fertility. The practice was originally based on helping energy flow throughout your body, and placing the needles in certain locations in order to prevent blockages of this energy.
However, recent research has shown a medical basis for why acupuncture works. This is based on the production of natural painkilling chemicals and a reduction and inflammation in the body.
Make sure that you find an experienced acupuncture practitioner who has treated your particular condition or type of pain before you start treatment.
Mind-body techniques and biofeedback
Your brain plays an important part in the sensing and control of pain. Learning mindfulness, meditation and biofeedback can help some people deal with chronic pain.
A lot of people dismiss this kind of technique as they think that they imply that pain is all in your mind, thereby saying that you’re imagining it or making it worse for yourself. That’s not the case. While there are some instances where ‘mind over matter; is appropriate, chronic pain isn’t always one of them. These techniques are all about helping you to calm your mind and alter the way your body responds under certain circumstances, reducing muscle tension and heart rate, etc.
In other cases, it can help distract your mind from concentrating on the pain.
Final thoughts
Pain can be a difficult thing to live with. Unfortunately, we’ve become a society that has come to rely heavily on strong medications. While these are absolutely vital in the controlling of pain, many people want to find other ways to deal with long-term pain so that they can get better results and reduce their reliance on pain meds. These medication-free and non-invasive therapies help many people to improve their pain, or learn to manage it. Why not give one a try?
