Have you ever had days where the body pain you’ve been experiencing has become too much to handle? As people grow older, the occurrence of pain increases. Pain can range from sharp stabs to dull aches, whether it be mild or severe. It is essential to identify the causes and find effective ways to manage the pain you feel to live a more comfortable and healthier lifestyle. Nowadays, new trends and approaches to manage acute or chronic pain have helped improve pain control consistency and avoid the ineffectiveness of pain relief. Here are some useful trends and practices to treat your pain.
Acupuncture
During the past 40 years, this method taken from traditional Chinese medicine has risen in popularity for pain relief. Acupuncture is a practice that includes the insertion of thin needles into specific points on the skin. What this does is restore the body’s balance and encourage a healing process wherein endorphins are released. Most people have found acupuncture an effective trend to relieve pain or lessen the severity they initially experienced.
Massages
Most people pay to get massages to help patients reduce stress and the pain in their neck or back. Although massages faded into the background because people opted for pain management medication, massage therapy for health-related issues have become more and more popular.
Massages improve blood flow, which contributes to tension relief. This method fits injuries that involve soft tissue and is not recommended for pain that you find in joints. Although massages help manage pain, this is not advised as long-term therapy for pain.
Pain-relieving devices
Most people also consider using pain management devices to alleviate all kinds of pressure like cancer pain, neuropathic pain, musculoskeletal pain, and many more. Some devices use electrical nerve stimulation to reduce and treat pain in different parts of your body, conveniently at home or in therapy. Another popular device for pain relief is the Zōk Relief Device, which provides comfort from headache and migraine symptoms by activating the cranial nerves found in our ear canals. This is done through pressure stimulation that is lightly applied.
Chiropractors
This is the most frequently used method for reducing back pain and neck pain. Chiropractic treatment is a non-surgical treatment that concerns the structure of the body, specifically the spine. By manipulating the body’s alignment, chiropractors effectively alleviate pain and improve the body’s function. This treatment can ultimately help the body heal on its own.
Besides manipulating the spinal, chiropractic care also involves treatments such as postural and exercise education, manipulative therapies, ergonomic training, and more. Although it is more focused on relieving back pain, chiropractic treatment also assists in mitigating musculoskeletal pain.
Herbal remedies
Although we’re still observing the effectiveness of herbs, some herbal remedies like ginger, turmeric, devil’s claw, and white willow bark have shown reliable evidence in recent years that promote their effectiveness. However, one thing to keep in mind is that consulting your doctor is essential since some herbal remedies may not sit well with the drugs that you have initially been receiving for pain relief. If this happens, you may acquire more health complications in the future.
Physical therapy
Physical therapy is usually recommended for pain from injuries or disabilities. This method improves the function and movement of the affected part of your body through special techniques that can effectively soothe the pain. With the combination of stretching, manipulation, and exercise, you will reduce stiffness and inflammation. Besides that, it can also encourage the body to produce natural pain-relieving chemicals to heal. Also, this method should be done by a trained and experienced professional physical therapist.
Surgical implants
For a more desperate option, people are considering surgical implants to manage and control pain. Intrathecal drug delivery and spinal cord stimulation implants are the two main types of implants you can get to alleviate pain. The intrathecal drug delivery or infusion pain pumps directly deliver medicines like morphine or muscle reluctant to the spinal cord. The spinal cord is where pain signals travel. That is why this method can significantly relieve your pain. Moreover, spinal cord stimulation implants are usually used for limb and back pains. A device that can deliver electrical signals will be surgically implanted in your body so that you can adjust the intensity of these signals if needed.
Managing and treating pain will vary depending on the intensity and type that you may be experiencing. By consulting a medical professional and reading about the different ways to effectively manage pain, lessening the pain you experience will no longer be that difficult and uncomfortable. For persisting pain that does not easily go away, it is best to closely monitor it with your doctor and have patience as you go through the process.
