According to the CDC, around 24% of people in the US live with chronic pain. A pain that is lingering longer than 3 months without any clear reason to exist or cannot be resolved and removed entirely by standard treatments is classed as chronic pain. And chronic pain can present in different ways for different people. For some, it’s a mild hum in the background of their lives, like an ache in their bones and joints; for others, it’s a more severe pain in one part of their body, i.e., ankle or back. Living with chronic pain can be extremely exhausting, and it can have a detrimental impact on people’s lives.
This post is going to look at some things that actually help when dealing with chronic pain.
Understand Your Body
The first step to managing chronic pain is to learn your body and what triggers your pain or makes it worse.
It’s not always obvious; sometimes it’s physical movements or positions that make the pain worse. It might be how long you sit or stand for, or it might be poor sleep, stress, or doing too much in one go that makes life more unbearable.
Take the time to notice changes in your patterns or what in your life helps or makes things worse. Note how your body responds to your pain level and anything else that you feel might impact it. Even the weather can be a contributing factor.
Once you see the patterns, you can make dealing with your pain much easier.
Combine Medical Treatment with Supportive Therapies
For the most part, relying on one approach rarely works with chronic pain, especially if it’s more widespread or higher on the pain scale.
Prescribed medication can help to take the edge off, but rarely resolves the issue on its own. It’s better used in conjunction with other treatments and therapies such as physiotherapy, massages, heat therapy, or even adjustments to your daily setup.
It’s not about treating anything in isolation; it’s about the cumulative impact that combining treatments can have. Look into your options, speak to others with similar pain to you, and uncover what is worth trying and what isn’t likely to help. You might find products from companies like My Pain Center help alongside medication, or that more physical options are more beneficial for you.
Introduce Beneficial Movement
This isn’t a case of going to the gym to cure all of your pain. But movement is beneficial for everyone in any capacity you can tolerate. The aim is for movement to help you not trigger a flare-up of pain or render you bedridden. That will far outweigh any benefits.
What movement you include and how much you include needs to be based on your physical abilities, energy levels, and how your body responds. It might be that gently stretching is all you can manage from a chair or bed, a short walk could be the ideal option on a daily basis, or building up to controlled strength work could be ideal for you.
A good place to start is with mobility exercises. Many people in chronic pain don’t use their bodies to their full capacity due to the pain, and over time, the muscles and joints will lose the ability to move freely, which can cause more pain. So starting off with mobility work might be a great starting point for you.
Remember, if it’s something that consistently makes your pain worse or impacts your energy levels, stop; it’s not right for you. Take it slow, build it up and find movement that’s beneficial.
