It's normal to experience pain every now and then. However, there are some people who experience pain on a regular basis. When pain lasts at least 12 weeks, it is considered chronic. According to the CDC, over 20 percent of adults in the United States suffer from chronic pain. Ongoing pain can limit mobility as well as greatly decrease one's quality of life. Some people resort to prescription painkillers to treat their chronic pain. If you want to avoid prescription drugs, there are other pain management options available.
Here are three drug-free ways to manage chronic pain.
1. Injections
Some people find pain management success with injections. There are different types of injections available to treat chronic pain.
Some of the most common injections include:
- Epidural steroid injections. This type of injection is given in the epidural space of the spine and helps to reduce pain in the legs, neck, and back.
- Facet injections. Also known as a nerve block, this injection is given in the back or neck to help control chronic pain associated with arthritis.
- Sacroiliac joint injections. This injection is used to treat chronic pain associated with sacroiliac joint dysfunction.
If you are experiencing chronic pain, a pain management doctor can help you determine the right type of injection that is right for you.
2. Surgical Implants
For some people that don't find relief from pain with injections, pain management might involve surgical implants. One type of surgical implant is a spinal cord stimulator. This neuromodulation device is implanted just under the skin and sends electrical signals directly to the spinal cord.
Another type of surgical implant to treat chronic pain is an intrathecal pump. This medical device is also implanted under the skin. The function of the intrathecal pump is to deliver pain-relieving medication to the epidural spaces in the spine. The type of surgical implant you need largely depends on where you are experiencing pain and also the severity of your condition.
3. Physical Therapy
If you want to try a more natural or less invasive pain management approach, physical therapy might help. A physical therapist will teach you various stretching and strengthening exercises that can help relieve your body of pain. Physical therapy might also involve several other modalities to help manage your pain.
Some of these modalities include:
- Hot and cold therapy
- Soft tissue mobilization
- Graded motor imagery
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
- Hydrotherapy
Physical therapy also helps you become stronger and more flexible and will increase your body's range of motion, all of which helps to reduce pain.
For more information about pain management, talk to your doctor.
Is your knee stiff and painful every morning when you get out of bed? Perhaps, you sometimes feel a grinding sensation in your knee. If you can relate to this frustrating situation, you might be suffering from osteoarthritis. Thankfully, several treatments are available for this joint condition. Sometimes, physicians recommend patients battling osteoarthritis of the knee take a prescription painkiller. Doctors also often encourage patients to lose weight and start a low-impact exercise program. Swimming and walking are both great forms of low-impact exercise. On this blog, I hope you will discover how to effectively and quickly relieve the painful symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee. Enjoy!