Chronic pain may last for more than three or six months. In some cases, it might be caused by a long-term health condition like arthritis or cancer. Besides that, it might also be a persistent pain that’s still present even after a past illness or injury has already healed.
Chronic pain could affect your physical health. For instance, it may cause a lack of appetite and energy, sleep deprivation, and inability to move around comfortably. This could hinder you from performing daily tasks such as house chores or grooming. Besides that, it could also impact your mental health by causing fear, negative thoughts, anxiety, anger, or depression.
If you experience chronic pain, despite its cause or effects, it’s advisable to take charge of the situation. This could help you efficiently deal with the condition. Hence, read more to learn about some of the steps you could take for better chronic pain management.
1. Consider Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy or physical therapy focuses on improving a patient’s function and mobility. Here, a specialist helps one recover and maintain good health through stretches, exercises, or massage. This therapy could be quite helpful for chronic pain. Usually, physiotherapists relieve your discomfort by first assessing the origin of the pain. After identifying the source, they develop a treatment plan to possibly reduce the discomfort from its origin. As a result, you could experience less pain, improved mobility, and better body functionality.
That said, physical therapy is an ongoing process. Your specialist will know how long your treatment should last. The good thing is technology has made it possible to have your sessions online. Therefore, to reduce movement strain, look for a physiotherapy facility that offers virtual treatment sessions. For instance, check out: https://whitepinehealth.ca/physiotherapy-brampton/ or research further online to find a good facility. Alternatively, ask for referrals from loved ones who’ve tried virtual physiotherapy before.
2. Eat A Balanced Diet Daily
Taking a balanced diet more frequently could also help you enhance your chronic pain management efforts. Such a meal could be beneficial to you in many ways. For instance, it may help you reduce and maintain a healthy weight. As a result, your joints could experience less pressure decreasing your pain. Additionally, a balanced diet could also enhance your immunity. This might boost your body’s ability to fight against pain.
A balanced diet may consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, legumes, nuts. Some foods to potentially ease chronic pain are pomegranates, spinach, fish, beans, brown rice, and peanuts.
Besides that, it’s also recommendable to keep off sugary drinks, red meat, alcohol, and processed food. These foods may increase inflammation, which could cause pain and possibly escalate your chances of getting diabetes or heart disease.
That said, you may be allergic to some foods, or your condition may require a specific diet. In such cases, it’s best first to consult your doctor before you start eating new foods. A professional knows what’s good and beneficial for you.
3. Take Your Medication
If your doctor prescribed medications for your pain, you shouldn’t stop it for physiotherapies, a new diet, or other natural methods that may help. This may include exercises like yoga or frequent physical activity. These are what you could consider, along with medication, to make chronic pain management easier and more effective. Therefore, ensure you take your medicine as advised.
Also, if the doctor has recommended a specific dose, you should complete it. This is essential because, in some cases, specialists might have determined the medical quantities of certain illnesses or injuries through scientific experiments. Therefore, taking the prescribed drugs with the correct amount and time may increase the likelihood of recovery.
However, you may experience severe side effects with some medicines. Also, you might feel like some aren’t working or are too expensive for you. On such occasions, it’s best to consult your doctor instead of changing the recommended drugs on your own.
The professional may provide other options that your body can tolerate if you’re allergic to the medicines or give you more effective ones if the previous ones aren’t working. Besides that, some hospitals also allow various payment options if chronic pain drugs are too expensive for you. Therefore, talk to your doctor if your finances are a bit tight. They may recommend an excellent medical and payment option for you.
4. Stay Positive
It’s also essential to remain positive. Several factors could cause you to feel stressed if you suffer from chronic pain. For instance, you might feel you have no control over your current situation or the financial strain caused by your condition. It’s believed that stress could make your muscles tenser, thus worsening your pain.
You could do several activities to reduce stress and lower your pain. For instance, you may consider relaxation techniques like reading a book, taking a warm bath, thinking calmly, or deep breathing. These might help reduce muscle aches, spasms, or tension causing pain. Besides that, meditation might also help. This practice could enhance the production of happy chemicals like serotonin to relieve stress or natural pain relievers like endorphins.
Conclusion
Chronic pain may be challenging to deal with. Although, it could be possible to make its management much easier, as you’ve learned in this article. However, you should consult a doctor before trying recommendations like physiotherapy, changing your diet, and switching your medications.
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