Chronic Pain Management

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The sensation of pain can be deemed as a necessary evil because it serves an important purpose of alerting you about injuries. Chronic pain, however, is not merely a sensation but a complex phenomenon that is profoundly influenced by the way in which your brain processes the pain signals.

When you have chronic pain, your body continues to send pain signals to your brain even after an injury heals. In addition to the physical suffering, you might develop feelings such as fear, anger, hopelessness, sadness and anxiety.

According to the American Academy of Pain Medicine, chronic pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined. As per certain key statistics, in United States alone there are 100 million people suffering from chronic pain, and 1.5 billion people are suffering from it worldwide. 77 percent people report that they feel depressed due to the persistence of chronic pain, and 51 percent of chronic pain sufferers feel that they have little or no control over their pain. Pain is also a serious health issue in terms of cost. Lost productivity due to chronic pain costs $299 - $325 billion a year based on days of work missed and hours of work lost.

Thus, it is quite clear that the effects of chronic pain are not limited to the pain itself, but can ruin your day-to-day life by manifesting itself in many different ways. If you are unfortunately going through the suffering to chronic pain, the following techniques might help you get rid of some of your pain.

Do Gentle Exercises and Relaxation Training

Low-impact exercises such as yoga, walking and swimming can play a critical role in interrupting the vicious cycle of pain. These everyday aerobic activities ease some of the pain by blocking pain signals to the brain. They effectively lessen pain by stretching stiff and tense muscles, ligaments and joints. Since a significant percentage of pain is caused due to tight muscles, which are triggered by overuse, inflammation or other conditions, regular exercise will strengthen muscles and increase joint mobility. Furthermore, the relaxation training involves concentration as well as slow and deep breathing in order to release tension from muscles and relieve pain. It also helps you feel more in control of the situation.

Try Heat, Ice and Repositioning

This is a tried and tested technique for alleviating pain arising out of certain types of injuries. Apply heat pads or cold compresses over the affected areas to relieve the agony by reducing inflammation and relaxing muscle tension. But remember, in case of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), make sure not to use ice. Ice weakens ligaments and worsens the condition. Nonetheless, keep altering your position and gently stretch and rotate your limbs. Heat and ice have been used effectively for many years to treat pain and to reduce swelling and inflammation. Studies have also been done to investigate this and results were conclusive: heat and ice therapy indeed has positive effects on pain relief.

Use Altered Focus Technique

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This is one of the powerful techniques that convincingly demonstrates how effectively your mind can alter sensations in your body. What you need to do in this particular method of pain relief is focus your attention on any specific non-painful part of your body in order to alter the sensation. For example, during pain, rather than going through suffering, you can easily imagine your hand warming up. But why? This will take the mind away from focusing on the source of your pain. Back pain is the most common form of pains – 22 percent of people who are suffering from chronic pain, are suffering from back pain itself. Thus, altered focus technique can be of great help vis-à-vis back pain. You should also take care of your sleep cycles by using an effective and comfortable mattress so that you can disassociate your mind from the feeling of suffering.

Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)

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RFA is a pain relief technique that utilizes an electric current produced by a radio wave to heat up a small area of nerve tissue. Radiofrequency ablation is useful because it targets the nerves that send pain signals to your brain, and as a result, many types of pains can be treated with it including arthritis, hip pain, neck pain, lower back pain and muscle pain. RFA soothes pain for 8 months to a year; after that, it can be administered again.

Furthermore, RFA has been proven to be safe and effective with very few associated complications. The main side effect of RFA is some discomfort that generally fades after a few days. But, it should be noted that radiofrequency ablation is not recommended for people who have active infections or bleeding problems.

Electrotherapy

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By definition, electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy as a method of treatment. Today, it is widely used for the treatment of chronic pain. It has significant benefits in terms of relieving muscle pain, reducing muscle recovery time and speeding the healing process. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is the most commonly known form of electrotherapy. TENS primarily aims to provide a degree of symptomatic pain relief by exciting sensory nerves. Various studies have suggested that when used well, TENS provides significantly greater pain relief than any other form of pain-relief intervention. The most beneficial aspect of TENS is that it is commonly delivered from small, hand-held, battery powered devices that can be purchased over-the-counter in many countries. TENS is a non-invasive technique that has fewer side effects when compared to drug therapy. 2-3 percent of patients, at maximum, have complained about allergic reactions.