Pain may occur in many ways. Some pains are due to illness, injury and age. Chronic pain is an unpleasant sense of discomfort that progresses over a longer period of time. It can affect any parts of the body. It may be related to different medical conditions like diabetes, migraine, cancer, sciatica, fibromyalgia, arthritis, previous injury and shingles. This pain may worsen in response to environmental or psychological factors.
At initial stages treatments depend on the duration and severity of the pain. Certain therapies are used at initial stages for persistent pain treatments.
- Regular Exercise.
- Getting sufficient sleep.
- Using pain relieving medications.
- Consuming balanced diet.
The best ways to treat persistent pain are as follows:
- Analgesics: It is commonly known as painkillers. It works by blocking pain signals from being transmitted to the brain. Analgesics might also interfere with the brain’s interpretation of pain signals. It doesn’t work like anesthesia and it doesn’t cause any loss of consciousness. They might have some harmful effects in certain combinations. Make sure with your doctor to know which medication you are currently taking.
- Antidepressants: It is also used in pain treatment. It not only works to relax muscles but also used to relieve pain. Fist doctor will prescribe analgesic before resorting to these medications. They work by adjusting the levels of brain chemicals.
- Electro Therapy: Individuals can undergo electro therapy to cure pain. Electro therapy refers Microcurent Therapy, TENS and Galvanic Stimulation. In this therapy, a small electric stimulus is directed towards nerves. This nerves are also stimulated with electricity generated. In this therapy, the resulting force can easily penetrate the skin and interferes with the pain signals from transmission to the brain.
- Nerve Block Injections: In this treatment, the affected nerve is injected with an anesthetic for pain relief. The pain lasts for a few days, but might return again. These injections will allow you to initiate physical therapy.
- Acupuncture: This is an ancient treatment and it used in many parts of East Asia. It cures shoulder pain, neck pain, arthritis, knee pain and many types of illness. This treatment has been used for more than 100 years and it is considered as Chinese Medicine to cure health issues. This process is so natural that it doesn’t depend on modern medications. Instead, acupuncture uses natural means to provide therapeutic energy and flow into a person’s body. This allows the person to heal its ailments and massage its way through.
- Rest and Exercise: Rest is the first thing that you should do for a day or two after an injury. Even physical activity is good for chronic pain Exercise increase your body flexibility, strength and improves muscle tone. Exercise is an important part of having a healthy lifestyle for a longer period of time and also brings relief to your body.
- Cold Therapy: This is an effective natural treatment for persistent pain. Switch to cold and hot packs to the affected areas for pain relief.
- Psychotherapy, biofeedback, relaxation therapies, behavior modification and medications are also used to treat persistent pain. These methods are powerful and effective for some people.