Living with chronic pain is tiresome and relentless. The pain comes in many different forms, depending on the sufferer. The most common form of chronic pain is back or neck aches, but it can come from anywhere. Some conditions, like Regional Pain Syndrome affects specific areas of the body such as the legs and arms. For some chronic pain conditions, there is no cure, only management and soothing. That’s what we’re here to help with today. We’ll show you the best, and most effective ways to reduce your everyday pain.
Keeping things at a manageable level is a daily task, and you’ll need to make plenty of lifestyle changes. Learning to cope and adapt to chronic pain isn’t easy, but it all starts by making a plan! Read the following measures, and begin to incorporate them into your life as much as possible.
- Yoga and meditation
The root of chronic back and neck pain lies in your muscles. It’s the tension and tightness that comes with muscle age and use. We naturally build up tension in our neck and shoulder muscles, and it needs a release. Yoga and meditation is a fantastic way to do that. Many people snub these alternative therapies, but if you’ve tried everything else, it’s worth a shot! The core of yoga and meditation is managing your breathing. Deep breathing allows you to relax, which in turn helps drain the tension from your muscles. Some soft yoga will also help stretch your muscles, and wring out the pain.
- Reduce stress
Everyone has different triggers and causes when it comes to chronic pain. But, doctors all agree on one thing: stress worsens it! No matter the source of your pain, stress will amplify it immensely. Why? Because we hold our stress in our shoulders, back, and neck. Stress causes our muscles to tense up which fuels the pain. Think about your everyday lifestyle, and how it contributes to your stress levels. Perhaps it’s time to reduce your hours at work, or move on from a trying job. If there are stresses in the home, face up to them, and try to mitigate them.
- Soft exercise
Exercise produces a string of natural, feel-good chemicals. Endorphins are nature’s painkillers, and by taking regular exercise, you can help reduce the pain. The endorphins will also boost your mood, happiness, and motivation. This is essential when dealing with relentless pain. Secondly, exercise will help strengthen those painful muscles. It will help defend against further injury and pain problems.
- Stop smoking and drinking
Studies show that regular smoking and drinking can exacerbate the pain levels in your body. Alcohol is a particular problem because it disrupts your sleep pattern terribly. Sleeping with chronic pain is hard enough as it is, without throwing alcohol into the mix. Try to remove it from your life, or cut back significantly. The problem with smoking lies with blood flow. Healthy circulation helps ease pain, because your muscles get all the oxygen they need. Smoking disrupts that flow, and breeds painful symptoms.
- Massage
Now, here’s one lifestyle change you can wholeheartedly embrace! Massages help target the specific pain areas, and loosen those muscles. Remember, the pain is almost always muscle based, caused by tension. Massages help work out the nots and stress in your neck and shoulders. They’ll ease the pain by softening those core muscle groups. If you’re suffering from a particular chronic pain, let your masseuse know, and they’ll target it specifically. Other treatments like acupuncture have also proved very effective here.
- Good diet
A healthy diet is critical whether you’re suffering from chronic pain or not. But, it’s time to take a long, hard look at your current intake. You need to keep your blood sugar levels at a healthy dose to ensure good blood flow. You need to keep your weight down, to avoid putting more stress on those painful areas. A balanced diet will keep your body in good working order.
- Drug treatments
Of course, there are plenty of medicinal answers. Simple painkillers may do the trick when it comes to early pain symptoms. Speak to your doctor about the right prescription for you. There are also more controversial options out there. The use of medical ketamine and medical marijuana is rising rapidly in the USA. Speak to the specialists about whether this route might benefit you.
Living with chronic pain is possible is you learn to manage it correctly. What tricks do you use to soothe your pain?