Do you experience pain that doesn’t go away? Chronic pain and related diseases cause disability and mental health issues like depression, sleep problems, medication overuse, and social isolation. You should find a pain management doctor like Garen Gajian MD, who will educate you on ways to cope with chronic pain. The pain management techniques aim at reducing and controlling the pain; they might help you experience long-term pain control and make it possible to engage in everyday activities. These home pain management techniques might alleviate chronic pain.
Heat Therapy
Heat therapy can alleviate chronic pain, but you should master the proper techniques to reduce the pain. You can use a cold pack soon after the injury as it reduces swelling, redness, and pain. A cold pack numbs the injury site and prevents further pain; however, an ice pack might damage the skin leading to frost bites; place a barrier before the ice pack and the skin. On the other hand, heat increases the blood flow to the injury site leading to the supply of nutrients and removal of toxins which is critical for healing. Therefore, you would use heat therapy to increase muscle flexibility during the healing process.
Hands-On Massage
Hands-on massage works on soft tissue and can manipulate the joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. You should find a therapist who offers effective hands-on massage to manage pain. Massage fosters relaxation, increases flexibility, reduces inflammation, increases circulation, reduces stiffness, and encourages better posture. The hands-on massage might alleviate lower back pain, but there might be evidence of benefits for chronic joint pain.
Physical Therapy
You should consult a physical therapist about ways to deal with chronic pain as they can incorporate exercise into your pain management routine. They might customize light exercises that increase joint motion and improve muscle flexibility. However, you should avoid sudden strenuous exercises as they increase pain and lead to injuries; you should start with light exercises and increase intensity when you get used to the light exercises. The therapeutic exercises will have long-term effects on chronic pain and help you cope with the pain. You can incorporate hands-on massage and red light therapy to deal with chronic pain.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture involves piercing the nerve endings with thin needles; your therapist should be knowledgeable about ancient Chinese medicine and the nervous system. The acupuncture results show the technique might improve chronic pain as it leads to short-term pain relief in the lower back, neck, knee, and osteoarthritis. Moreover, it might reduce inflammation, lead to relaxation, reduce muscle spasms, and relieve soreness.
Behavioral and Mental Therapy
The behavioral and mental therapies involve psychological and body manipulation, which relieves chronic pain. Cognitive-behavioral therapy might reduce mental stress as it helps one think about chronic pain positively. You can opt for yoga as it promotes relaxation, improves strength and body flexibility, and improves your mental state.
Chronic pain makes it impossible to enjoy everyday activities and can impact your physical and mental health. However, a pain management therapist can teach you how to cope with chronic pain. You can incorporate pain management techniques like mental and physical therapy, acupuncture, hands-on massage, and heat therapy into the pain management routine.
