7 Practical Ways to Manage Your Chronic Pain
Pain can be unbearable. However, pain is a type of language that the body uses to communicate when something is wrong. Pain can appear suddenly or build slowly. It is important to have acute pain treated so it doesn’t become chronic.
Normally, chronic pain is caused by severe injuries or diseases, some of which could include spinal injury, trauma, thoracotomy, spinal surgery, and arthritis.
Whatever the cause, there are some practical ways you can manage your chronic pain and ease its persistent effects.
1. Practice Relaxation Techniques
One of the ways to deal with pain is by directly addressing its physical or emotional causes. Relaxation is very important when it comes to chronic pain management, as it helps reduce pain without the use of synthetic chemicals or drugs.
There are some techniques that can help reduce problems that worsen
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As such, it will be easy and practical to manage such pain by making sure your body stays well hydrated. Water is always the best source of hydration, as it does not contain caffeine, sodium, or extra calories.
If you are dealing with a chronic condition and want to stay hydrated, avoid the use of processed juices, coffee, and sodas since these have diuretic effects that only increase your need for hydration.
3. Eat the Right Food
Your diet plays a very important role in pain management, especially if your pain is chronic. Some of the foods you consume on a daily basis could aggravate chronic pain and should be avoided. Junk food, for example, can increase inflammation.
Instead, consume foods known to alleviate inflammation. The best foods are those high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in sugar. You should consider leafy greens, fermented soy products, fruits, asparagus, cherries, and berries. 4. Use the Right Mattress, Pillow, and Bedding for
Pain can be acute or chronic. Acute pain is intense, short in duration and generally a reaction to trauma. Chronic pain does not go away, and can range from a dull ache to excruciating agony. Terminal and non-terminal illnesses can both be causes of chronic pain. Tissue damage is not always found in chronic pain, but those who suffer from it are rendered "nonfunctional by incapacitating pain," (Murphy, 1981).
Traditionally, doctors prescribed opioid treatments for pain-related medical conditions. Chronic pain in particular is difficult to treat. While the search for a cure is underway, the best most patients can hope for is effective management of their condition.
When pain lasts three to six months or more, it is considered chronic pain. According to the American Geriatrics Association, more than 50 percent of seniors living at home and up to 80 percent of those in care facilities suffer from chronic pain. As a result, a great number of these seniors are not able to function properly during the day or sleep well at night. Some of the most frequent causes of chronic pain in seniors are arthritis, glaucoma, poor circulation, and nerve damage.
According to The World Health Organisation (1999), defined pain as an unpleasant sensory or emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage. Pain is traditionally described as acute or chronic pain. The prevalence of chronic pain (CP) is higher than of acute of pain, as it affects 7.8 million people of all ages in the UK (Chronic Pain Policy Coalition., 2006). The current leading cause of mortality that is accounting for 60% of all deaths is due to chronic diseases and is also a problem as causes an increasing burden on the health care service (World Health Organisation., 2007). CP can affect a person’s quality of life if managed poorly, statistics shows that 25% of people lose their job and 22% leads to depression. (Chronic Pain Policy Coalition.,
Chronic Pain Management is an evidence-based program that provides teaching strategies to manage pain and encourage functional activity to adolescents and young adults 11-21.
Because severe pain is more difficult to control, Mrs R may become anxious and fatigued, and may also withdraw again from the regimen if there is no success in achieving pain relief; therefore, the preventive approach needs to be considered. (Wells, 2014). For an effective pain control pain, Mrs R should also keep a daily record of her pain. Writing a diary can help empower the patient in her own care, give her confidence and increase self-efficacy (Bastable, 2014). Also, a strategy of pain management is to combine opiods with non-narcotics, such as Tylenol, in order to enhance pain relief and to slowly decrease the use of narcotics overtime (Lewis, 2014). Mrs R was explained to always follow the right dosage of medication to optimize the narcotic results. A complete assessment of pain should be performed: PQRST. Pain is a subjective concept and the patient must describe the pain in order to provide an effective care plan (Jarvis, 2013). Responses to pain medication should be documented to facilitate communication between health care providers, therefore to maximise effective pain management strategies (Lewis, 2014). The use of non-pharmacological therapy for pain is also recommended to Mrs R because it helps reduce the dose of an analgesic/opiod required to control pain and helps to minimize analgesic side effects, and also promote the release of endorphins which inhibit pain signals (NCBI, 2010). Mrs R is encouraged to use distraction such as watching TV, listening to the radio/music, which redirect the attention on something and away of the pain. Imagery can also be proposed to divert the focus away from the pain by stimulating the client’s imagination to develop sensory images. Relaxation strategies can also be used to help Mrs R to be free of her anxiety and stress, and to reduce muscle tension (Lewis,
Chronic pain describes pain that persists over long periods of time. It handicaps the normal lifestyle and quality of one’s life (http://www.asri.edu/neuro/brochure/pain1.htm).
“Chronic pain is even worse to live with than lung, cardiac or liver disease. Bad chronic pain is connected with the worst quality of life. People don’t realize that it is a disease on its own, not just a symptom.” (qtd in MacCallum par 1) Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than six months. It can affect different parts of your body and nervous system. (Blahd par. 1) Sometimes the pain is so severe that it is debilitating. That is where pain medication comes into play.
Although it sounds off that it may take giving pain to take pain away, it is actually one of the most natural ways to use the body to relief pain.
Most medical treatment for chronic pain includes from pharmaceutical treatments for pain management, which can range from over-the-counter medicines like aspirin to prescription drugs. The problem with chronic pain management treatments that involve drugs is that they lose their effectiveness. Worse they actually can create more chronic or that can add to the chronic pain cycle.
Whether you have a chronic illness or are interested in eating well to prevent disease, the anti-inflammatory diet is gaining traction as a viable way to plan your meals in order to avoid inflammation that can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, painful joints, and other ailments. Read on to learn about the components of an anti-inflammatory diet and what foods you should avoid.
Chronic pain is a significant health problem worldwide. Approximately 19% of the European population suffers from one or more kinds of chronic pain. The origin of most of the chronic pains is musculo-skeletal system and joints. A chronic pain is usually moderate to severe in intensity, lasting more than six months in duration and occurring at least two times a week (Breivik et al., 2006). This duration and intensity has a profound effect on the behavioral, economic, and psychological aspects of the individual and society. A Finnish study revealed almost 30% of the medically certified leaves lasting more than 2 weeks to be due to chronic painful experiences. The same study stated that chronicity of painful conditions has frequently led to early
In order to successfully manage chronic pain, you must first understand that pain is a complicated experience. The severity of your pain is not only determined by the strength of the pain signal coming from your brain, but your emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and even how friends and family react to your condition.
Everyone at one point or another will experience some pain. For some, this pain becomes a chronic and constant companion and affects daily life. If this is something you 've experienced or are currently experiencing, then pain management is an essential part of your treatment and your quality of life.
This paper is going to talk about how to deal with chronic pain. First of all, this paper will explain what chronic pain means by providing the foremost chronic pain encountered in life such as low back, joints, or other kinds. Next, this paper will cover why it is important to address conditions related to chronic pain, and will explore methods and strategies showing how to cope with continuing pain. Finally, this paper will share some predictable outcomes and a conclusion.