Dealing with chronic pain without drugs

 

If you begin taking prescription opioids to address chronic pain, you'll need new pain relief choices if you reduce or discontinue your opioid use. The following are some ideas that may be helpful on their own or in combination.

Cold and heat  

Cold therapy can help expedite recovery by relieving pain, reducing inflammation, and reducing muscular spasms. Heat relaxes muscles and raises your pain threshold.

Exercise

People with common pain problems such as low back pain, arthritis, and fibromyalgia may find that staying physically active, despite suffering, is beneficial.

Loss of weight

Excess weight aggravates a variety of uncomfortable health issues. It stands to reason, then, that lowering weight can aid in the relief of certain types of discomfort.

Occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT)

Physical therapy can help you regain or preserve your ability to move and walk. Occupational therapy can help you increase your ability to do things like dress, bathe, and eat.

Electrical nerve stimulation applied to the skin

A very low electrical current is used to block pain signals from the body to the brain in this procedure.

Iontophoresis        

Electrical stimulation is used to deliver drugs to painful locations and reduce inflammation.

Ultrasound

Sound waves are guided into tissue with this therapy. It can help with blood circulation, inflammation, and healing.

Cold laser therapy

 The FDA has approved cold laser treatment, commonly known as low-level laser therapy, to relieve pain. The cool laser delivers a single wavelength of pure light that is absorbed into an injured area, reducing inflammation and stimulating tissue repair.

Techniques combining mind and body

At hospital-based pain clinics, mind-body relaxation techniques are often used. Here are a few examples:

The Meditation

The Mindfulness

The Progressive muscle relaxation

The Breathing exercises

The Hypnosis therapy 

Yoga and tai chi

Breath control, meditation, and movements to stretch and strengthen muscles are all part of these mind-body and fitness activities. Chronic pain disorders such as fibromyalgia, low back pain, arthritis, and headaches may benefit from them.

Biofeedback

This machine-assisted therapy assists patients in gaining control over their own bodily responses, including pain.

Massage therapy treatment

Massage therapy can help relieve pain by relaxing tense muscles, tendons, and joints, reducing stress and anxiety, and even blocking pain signals from reaching and leaving the brain.

Chiropractic

Chiropractors work to correct the body's alignment in order to reduce pain, improve function, and aid the body's natural healing process.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a technique in which extremely thin needles are inserted into the skin at specified places on the body. Endorphins, the body's natural painkilling chemicals, may be released as a result of this movement, which may help to relieve pain. It may also affect serotonin levels, a brain chemical linked to mood.

Psychotherapy

These experts can help with a variety of pain reduction and management options. They can, for example, assist you in re-framing negative pain-related thinking patterns that are interfering with your capacity to perform successfully in life, work, and relationships. It's not true that seeing a mental health expert means the agony is "all in your brain."

Devices that alleviate pain 

A variety of assistive devices can aid in the support of aching joints, the relief of pressure on inflamed nerves, and the relief of aches and pains. Splints, braces, canes, crutches, walkers, and shoe orthotics are among them.

Pain medications applied topically

These creams and ointments with medication are applied to the skin. They can be used in place of or alongside other treatments.

Medications over-the-counter  

 Pain medicines such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn) are available without a prescription and can help reduce mild to moderate pain.

Pain medications herbal

There is little scientific data to back up their usefulness as a pain reliever.

Prescription medications opioids   

For addressing condition-specific pain, certain drugs can be particularly beneficial. Triptans are used to treat migraine headaches, and gabapentin (Neurontin) or pregabalin (Lyrica) is used to treat nerve pain.

Injections of corticosteroids

Corticosteroid injections, when administered on a limited basis, can help reduce pain and inflammation caused by arthritis, sciatica, and other disorders.