How to Treat Chronic Pain Without Surgery

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Treat Chronic Pain

Chronic pains of any type in any part of the body can greatly reduce the quality of life for the affected patient. In most cases, patients rely on pain medication that may cause adverse side effects leading to further health complications. In extreme cases, surgery is the only recourse for the afflicted patients to get a modicum of relief or to treat chronic pain  from the excruciating pain. Since Dubuque Chiropractor is an all-natural medical practice, there’s no need to take pills or other supplements to relieve your pain.

However, there are other ways you can avoid surgery. Surgery is not the only option available to patients with chronic pains. Every patient has unique situations that require remedies specific to their needs in alleviating pain. There are other options – both medication and non-medication that can help relieve chronic pains for most patients willing to try. Here is some expert advice that can help you treat chronic pain without surgery.

Anti-inflammatory medication

Surgery for chronic pain is rarely suggested as a first-line option for the treatment of this condition. The most common chronic pains include lower back and rheumatic arthritis, although any part of the body can experience chronic pain such as migraines. Pain is classified chronic if it persists beyond three months without abating despite the measures taken to counter it. In most cases, patients will start with standard painkillers available at the chemist or the store for relief from their pain. 

However, when the pain persists despite the use of these standard painkillers, the patient may then seek a doctor’s advice. A doctor is likely to investigate the cause of the pain and, if there is no evidence of extreme injury, will prescribe stronger painkillers for the patient. Now, prescription painkillers will work for a while, but they tend to become addictive as the body demands higher doses to cope with the pain. The resultant high dependency on these prescription pills may have adverse side effects on the stomach and kidneys, creating further health complications.

Natural remedy solutions can help alleviate chronic pain without extreme adverse side effects on the patient. Cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabis (marijuana) products have been shown to help chronic pain patients. You get quick relief from the excruciating pain if your meals contain some quantity of Lazarus naturals high potency CBD tincture. You can also place a drop of it under the tongue to get relief from the pain.

Injections

Injections provide another option in managing chronic pain in patients unable to get relief from drugs. To take this option, the patient must first consult a doctor for tests, especially an MRI or any other form of imaging, to confirm the physical exam. These tests are vital in helping the doctor isolate the possible source of the pain and focus the treatment on the identified area for faster and more effective relief.

The most common of these injections for chronic lower back pain is the epidural steroid injection. A cortisone solution is injected directly into the spine to reduce the inflammation and possible swelling affecting part of the spinal cord or nerve. Alternatively, using the results of the MRI scans, a selective nerve root injection can be done by delivering medication directly to a particular nerve and not the entire spine. Medication can also be injected directly into a facet joint that links the spinal bones together using X-ray guidance for precision.

Similar to the epidural injection, a sacroiliac joint injection into the joint connecting the tailbone to the pelvis will have an instant effect on lower back pain that extends to the leg. A combination of soft tissue and joint pain reliever or steroid injection directly into the affected areas can provide relief for a longer period, up to a month. Rhizotomy can provide relief also through the use of radio wave-generated heat targeting the pain-causing tissue.

Medication-free treatment- Treat Chronic Pain

Sometimes in the treatment of chronic pain, emphasis is placed on management rather than a cure for comfortable sustainability and quality of life. Patients suffering from chronic low back, osteoporosis, arthritis, or disc problems are counseled on how to manage their condition without dependency on clinical medication. Besides the avoidance of adverse side effects from medications, patients benefit from the enhanced positive attitude towards their situation. A positive mental attitude primes the body for self-preservation and enhances wellness, promoting quality of life.

Physical therapy

Physical therapy aims at treating the pain and its source for wholesome relief to the patient. To treat Chronic pain leads to stiffness or weakness in affected areas, and this hurts the normal functioning of the body or limbs. Physiotherapy will attempt to strengthen these weak areas while loosening the stiff parts to regain normal function, including motion, through select exercises. Using machines, resistance bands, and your body weight, you will be guided in working your core muscles for strengthening. 

Once you have strengthened your body, you will move to pain relief exercises with gentle stretching to increase flexibility in the affected areas. The physiotherapist can also use controlled massage to revitalize the afflicted area without escalating the pain. Take note that physiotherapy will be challenging as it targets the already painful parts for physical manipulation that could leave you a little sore. Stick with the program diligently following your therapist’s instructions, and you will soon enjoy welcome relief from pain and live normally.

Water therapy- Treat Chronic Pain

Water or aquatic therapy can help ease chronic pain and regain lost movement from injury caused by strains and sprains. While strains affect muscle tissue, sprains cause ligament tears in joints, especially ankles and wrists, reducing mobility and flexibility in these areas. Underwater exercises have little stress on the injured parts as the body weight is greatly reduced in the water, allowing easier movement. The water’s soothing effect on the inflamed part helps ease the pain, faster recovery, and body strength.

Water therapy is also effective in providing relief to patients suffering from spinal stenosis and herniated disc-induced chronic pain. In both cases, motion or exercise is hampered by the patient’s body weight which exerts pressure on the affected areas. Exercising on an underwater treadmill takes the weight off, making it easy for the patient to move the affected limbs. The water exercises will not only bring relief from the pain but also help the patient regain motion in the affected areas.

Acupuncture and acupressure

Acupressure works with the same principle as acupuncture to attain the same results but without the needles. Your acupressure therapist will use fingers, palms, elbows, or feet to apply pressure to specific points on your body. These points, known as meridians, connect to various organs and parts of the body and, when manipulated, can have the desired relief to the affected spots. A patient will also go through stretching exercises and related massage along the same principle to relax the target to restore balance and relief.

Acupuncture does the same thing as acupressure but uses needles inserted at specific points on the body. Both treatment methods seek to restore health and balance to the organs in the affected part of the body by exerting pressure on corresponding points along the meridians. Performed correctly and by trained acupuncturists, both methods are safe and can control some chronic pains. Look up the World Health Organization (WHO) list with the identified conditions for which acupuncture is effective to check if yours is one of them.

Osteopathic manipulation and cupping

Osteopathic manipulation therapy in chronic pain management is commonly used to reduce pain levels and enhance body functions. It is a supplementary treatment method to help patients with chronic conditions reduce their dependence on medication while regaining motion functions. The therapist, known as the DO, uses massage, articulation, stretching, and high velocity thrusts to ease stiffness and relax muscles to improve blood flow, motion range and reduce pain.

Cupping is another alternative method for chronic pain treatment that emphasizes better blood flow to affected areas. The principle basis is that a balanced blood flow to affected areas promotes faster healing and reduction of pain in the process. Heated or manually pumped cups are placed on a patient’s skin to create a suction that either increases or decreases blood flow to reduce pain. Cupping is a safe alternative method to try as a complement to your existing treatment regimen. 

Nutrition and lifestyle changes

The foods you eat have a direct bearing on the status of your health and quality of life. Avoid eating processed foods as these have less natural nutrients useful to your health and may cause or escalate some complications like diabetes. Eat fruits and foods that provide natural vitamins and minerals to promote good health and avoid lifestyle diseases like obesity that may lead to increased low back pain. Eating healthy allows you to keep the body weight without constantly watching the scales and dealing with the related anxiety.

Cut out the sedentary lifestyle and engage in some exercise to enhance blood flow and motion quality in joints. An active lifestyle keeps your body alive and encourages cell regeneration that helps reduce muscle or cartilage degeneration and the attendant pain. If you work in an office, ensure you have the right chair for your body with good back support to minimize lower back stress from bad sitting posture. Walk more than you drive and hydrate while you are at it to keep your body fluids balanced for good health.

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