How to Safely Combat Pain

There’s nothing worse than feeling pain. The longer you experience it, the more it seems to affect you. Whether your pain is acute or chronic, pain is pain. And what’s primary on your mind is what to do about it. But before you make a decision about getting a prescription for an opioid painkiller, consider the other remedies for alleviating pain that may be a better option.

Acute vs. Chronic Pain

First, however, it’s important to differentiate between acute and chronic pain. According to WebMD, acute pain begins suddenly and is sharp in quality. It may serve as a warning sign of disease or some kind of threat to the body. Acute pain may be mild and last only a short time, or it can be severe, lasting many weeks or months. Usually, acute pain lasts less than six months – disappearing when the underlying condition is treated or heals. Examples of incidents causing acute pain include childbirth, dental work, broken bones, cuts and burns, and surgery. If the underlying condition remains untreated, however, acute pain can become chronic pain.

Chronic pain, on the other hand, is pain that persists even after an injury has healed. WebMD advises that pain signals remain active in the body’s nervous system for varying lengths of time: weeks, months, or even years. Chronic pain has numerous physical effects, including limited mobility, changes in appetite, lack of energy and muscle tenseness. It also has several emotional effects, including anger, anxiety, depression, and fear of re-injury. All of these effects may serve to prevent the chronic pain sufferer from returning to work or normal activities.

People complaining of chronic pain may have one or more of the following pain causes: arthritis, cancer, headache, low back problem, nerve damage, or psychogenic pain (pain not caused by past injury, disease or visible sign of damage).

Methods to Treat Pain

Numerous methods exist to treat pain. These include non-prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs, nerve blocking, alternative treatments, electrical stimulation, exercise and physical therapy, spinal decompression therapy, surgery, psychological counseling, and behavior modification. Some of these are more effective when combined with other forms of treatment. In addition, pain sufferers often need to try several different methods in order to obtain the needed relief. We’ll examine each of the pain treatment methods separately.

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