Dealing with chronic pain is very challenging and difficult. But there are effective treatments for chronic pain that can significantly improve your health. Whether it’s persistent back pain, ongoing headaches, or joint pain, understanding the various options for managing chronic pain is important to find the relief.
So, Main Street Medical Centre is here to serve you with the best treatments.
In this blog post, we will provide you with the different ways to manage chronic pain. This will help you regain control over your health and well-being.
We believe that chronic pain can be treated with the right approach, offering hope and comfort to those suffering. Our skilled healthcare providers deliver comprehensive care, granting patients the knowledge, resources, and tools they need to effectively manage their health conditions.
So, let’s move towards chronic pain and its treatment options:
Chronic Pain Explained | Facts & Figures
First, let’s clarify what is chronic pain?
Chronic pain is a state where discomfort continues for most days of the week and lasts for at least three months. It’s a persistent type of pain that can significantly impact a person’s quality of life.
How common is chronic pain?
In Australia, about 1 in 5 people live with chronic pain.
Interestingly, women are slightly more likely than men to experience chronic pain, particularly as they age. For instance, more than 1 in 4 women over the age of 50 report dealing with chronic pain.
Injuries are often the primary cause of chronic pain. These injuries can result from various situations, including sports, car accidents, incidents at home, or work-related accidents.
Chronic pain can greatly interfere with everyday activities. Nearly two-thirds of those suffering from chronic pain report that it limits their ability to carry out daily tasks, making life more challenging.
Lean more about: What Is Chronic Disease? Complete Details
Now that we have discussed the basics, let’s move towards the treatments.
Chronic Pain Management | What are the best treatment options for chronic pain?
When it comes to the treatments for chronic pain, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. While medicines can be a helpful part of the treatment, relying solely on them is often not enough. The most successful strategies combine medication with other management techniques.
Let’s explore them one by one:
Physical Therapy
For those dealing with chronic pain, the instinct may be to avoid physical activity.
However, regular exercise and stretching can actually decrease pain and help improve your ability to perform daily tasks. Over time, if you become less active, you can lose muscle mass, flexibility, and strength. This can make even simple activities more challenging.
Physiotherapists and exercise physiologists can provide guidance on how to move your body safely, helping you maintain strength and mobility. They can also help you learn to pace yourself throughout the day by breaking tasks into smaller, easy-to-manage steps, instead of trying to do everything at once.
Psychological Therapy
Your emotional state and mindset play an important role in how you experience pain.
Psychological therapies, like CBT – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mindfulness, can be highly effective to help you manage chronic pain. These techniques can help you identify and change unhelpful thoughts that can be worsening your pain.
Including social and mood-related goals in your pain management plan is also essential. For example, one objective might be to spend at least 30 minutes a day socializing with friends or family, which can boost your mood and provide a distraction from the pain.
Learn more about: Everything You Need to Know About Physiotherapy
Mind-Body Therapies for Pain Relief
Mind-body therapies can significantly reduce stress, which is often linked to pain levels. Such as:
- yoga
- relaxation exercises
- meditation
- biofeedback
- hypnosis
Practices like yoga and meditation not only help in stress reduction but can also be integrated into your physical therapy routine, enhancing overall pain management.
Drug Therapy – Nonprescription and Prescription
For minor pain, over-the-counter (OTC) medications like Tylenol (acetaminophen) and NSAIDs (aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen) can help. These relieve pain from muscle aches and stiffness, and NSAIDs also reduce inflammation.
Topical options like creams and sprays can also ease pain from sore muscles and arthritis.
If OTC options don’t work, your doctor can prescribe stronger medications. These could include muscle relaxants, anti-anxiety drugs like Valium, or antidepressants like Cymbalta for musculoskeletal pain. Stronger painkillers like codeine or Percocet can be used, as well as prescription NSAIDs like Celebrex. In some cases, steroid injections or epidurals may be given to reduce inflammation and manage severe pain.
Important Note: Use drugs as per instructions by you GP / doctor.
Trigger Point Injections
Another treatment used to relieve muscle pain caused by tight knots, or trigger points, that develop when muscles don’t relax properly.
In this procedure, a healthcare provider injects a small amount of local anesthetic, sometimes combined with a steroid, directly into the trigger point. This injection helps deactivate the trigger point and reduces pain.
Often, just a few treatments can provide lasting relief.
These injections are commonly used to treat muscle pain in the arms, legs, lower back, and neck. They are also effective for conditions like fibromyalgia, tension headaches, and myofascial pain syndrome, especially when other treatments haven’t worked.
Bioelectric Therapy
Bioelectric therapy is a treatment that helps reduce pain by blocking pain signals from reaching the brain. Additionally, it encourages the body to release endorphins, which are natural painkillers. These endorphins help to diminish or even eliminate pain by preventing the pain messages from being processed by the brain.
Additional Therapies for Chronic Pain Relief
Over the past decade, many people have found relief through mind-body therapies, acupuncture, and certain nutritional supplements. Others turn to treatments like massage, chiropractic adjustments, osteopathic manipulation, therapeutic touch, and herbal therapies. While these approaches can offer relief for some, there isn’t a lot of scientific evidence supporting their effectiveness for pain management.
Since pain affects everyone differently, it’s important to have a personalised treatment plan. Beyond the therapies mentioned, consider these complementary options:
- Joining a support group connects you with others who understand your struggles, providing both emotional support and practical tips.
- Better sleep can significantly impact how you feel during the day and help reduce pain.
- Consulting with a pain management specialist can help you create a tailored plan that addresses your unique needs.
Herbal Remedies to Manage Chronic Pain at Home
While it’s challenging to definitively determine how effective herbs are for pain relief, some like white willow tree bark, devil’s claw, cat’s claw, ginger, and turmeric show promise.
If you’re considering herbal remedies to manage pain, it’s important to talk to your doctor first. Some herbs can interact with medications you’re already taking, which could affect your health.
Medicines to Avoid in Chronic Pain
Opioid medications, like oxycodone, morphine, and codeine, are often used to manage pain from surgery or injuries, and they are sometimes prescribed for cancer-related chronic pain.
However, when it comes to chronic pain that isn’t related to cancer, opioids are generally not recommended.
Let’s explore why:
Using opioids for a long time can be risky. They can become addictive and may not be as effective over time. Your body can build up a tolerance to these medications, meaning you need higher doses to get the same level of pain relief. This increased dosage can lead to more severe side effects and can make your pain more intense in the long run, a condition known as ‘opioid-induced hyperalgesia.’
In summary, while opioids can be useful in certain situations, they are not the best choice for managing chronic pain that isn’t cancer-related. It’s important consult with your healthcare provider to find a safer and more effective approach to managing your pain.
Expert Tips for Managing Chronic Pain
- Reviewing the Patient’s Medication History Before Treatment
It’s recommended to check all past and current medications, including over-the-counter drugs, herbal remedies, and complementary therapies. Additionally, identify any past issues like incorrect dosages, side effects, or misconceptions about treatment as well.
- Making Consistent Dosing Schedule
Go for regular dosing instead of going for ‘as needed’. Additionally, consider maximising the current medication dose before considering a new one.
- Monitoring Patient’s Response Regularly
It’s important to evaluate the patient’s response to medication after 2 to 3 weeks. If there’s no improvement, discuss potential reasons, such as side effects, unrealistic expectations, or improper use.
- Communicating Clearly
This includes:
- explaining why and how to take the medication
- discussing expected side effects
- conveying how the progress will be monitored
Additionally, patients must consult the doctor before making any changes.
- Reviewing Treatment Time to Time
Assessing the patient’s comfort level, side effects, and overall well-being is always important. Consider using pain diaries and records, if applicable, to track and review the progress.
Chronic Pain Can Be Treated | A Message from Main Street Medical Centre
At Main Street Medical Centre, we firmly believe that chronic pain can be treated with the right approach and care.
Our goal is to provide you with a personalised treatment plan that not only addresses your pain but also empowers you to live a healthier, more fulfilling life. Our team of doctors and health professionals is here to support you every step of the way, offering the best in Chronic Pain Management services.
Let’s start your journey towards a pain-free life together.
Visit Main Street Medical Centre | Take Control of Your Chronic Pain Today
FAQs for Chronic Pain Management
Q#1: What is the most common treatment for chronic pain?
For managing chronic pain, especially from conditions like osteoarthritis and chronic back pain, acetaminophen and NSAIDs are often the first choices. They are effective and widely used for these types of pain.
Q#2: How to deal with severe chronic pain?
If you’re dealing with severe chronic pain, your doctor might prescribe stronger medications like codeine or morphine. These narcotics work by numbing the central nervous system to provide relief.
Q#3: What are the top 5 strongest painkillers for chronic pain?
The strongest painkillers include opioids such as tramadol, buprenorphine, methadone, diamorphine, fentanyl, hydromorphone, morphine, oxycodone, and pethidine.
Q#4: Which painkiller is best for long-term use?
For long-term use, acetaminophen is generally considered the safest over-the-counter option. It can have fewer side effects compared to other painkillers.
Q#5: What is the best painkiller for chronic muscle pain?
For chronic muscle pain, paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a simple and safe choice. If you don’t have conditions like a stomach ulcer, you might also find anti-inflammatory tablets such as ibuprofen helpful.
Q#6: Is chronic pain curable?
There is no cure for chronic pain, but there are many effective pain medications available to help you manage it and live your life more comfortably. Work with your healthcare provider to find the best long-term solution for your situation.
