In 1931, the French medical missionary Dr. Albert Schweitzer wrote, "Pain is a more terrible lord of mankind than even death itself." Today, pain has become the universal disorder, a serious and costly public health issue, and a challenge for family, friends, and health care providers who must give support to the individual suffering from the physical as well as the emotional consequences of pain.
Pain is a feeling triggered in the nervous system. Pain may be sharp or dull. It may come and go, or it may be constant. You may feel pain in one area of your body, such as your back, abdomen, or chest, or you may feel pain all over, such as when your muscles ache from the flu.
Pain can be helpful. Without pain, you might seriously hurt yourself without knowing it, or you might not realize you have a medical problem that needs treatment. Once you take care of the problem, pain usually goes away. However, sometimes pain goes on for weeks, months, or even years. Fortunately, there are many ways to treat pain. Treatment varies depending on the cause of pain.
It is useful to distinguish between two basic types of pain, acute and chronic, and they differ greatly:
Acute pain, for the most part, results from disease, inflammation, or injury to tissues. This type of pain generally comes on suddenly. For example, pain may occur after trauma or surgery, and may be accompanied by anxiety or emotional distress. The cause of acute pain can usually be diagnosed and treated, and the pain is confined to a given period of time and severity. In some rare instances, it can become chronic.
Chronic pain is widely believed to represent disease itself. It can be made much worse by environmental and psychological factors. Chronic pain persists over a longer period of time than acute pain and is resistant to most medical treatments. It can and often does cause severe problems for patients.
How is Pain Treated?
Whatever the treatment method, it is important to remember that pain is treatable. Here are some common pain treatments.
*Drugs - Examples are aspirin, acetaminophen, and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen.) These pain relievers, also called analgesics, treat anything from minor aches to arthritis. Other drugs that are sometimes used for pain include anticonvulsants, antidepressants, antimigraine drugs, COX-2 inhibitors, and narcotics.
*Chemical injections or applications - Examples include capsaicin, a chemical found in chili peppers used in pain-relieving creams; nerve blocks with drugs or chemicals to interrupt relay of pain messages between the brain and other parts of the body; and enzymes injected into lumbar disks.
*Physical methods - Common treatments include physical therapy, biofeedback, acupuncture, electrical stimulation, R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation, for muscle and bone conditions), and exercise to improve blood flow and oxygen to muscles and relieve stress.
*Psychological methods - These include counseling, hypnosis, and cognitive-behavioral therapy'a treatment that involves a wide variety of coping skills and relaxation methods to help prepare for and cope with pain.
*Surgery - Although not always an option, surgery may be required to relieve pain, especially pain caused by back problems or serious musculoskeletal injuries.
In its most benign form, pain warns us that something isn't quite right, that we should take medicine, or see a doctor. At its worst, however, pain robs us of our productivity, our well being, and, ultimately, our very lives.
There are many ways that chronic pain can occur. Some of these are due to an injury, or maybe an illness and some are due to age. Chronic pain can affect many parts of the body, but in most cases the back is what is affected. Chronic back pain relief is a must to find, because if it is not corrected, it can effect all parts of your life. You can be affected emotionally and depression can even set in.There is good news, because there are many ways to find chronic pain relief. There is a bit of trial and error to find the correct pain relief. You and your doctor and other health professionals can partner to keep chronic pain from destroying your life.What You Should Do FirstThe first thing that you must do is contact your doctor. The doctor can determine where and why the chronic pain is occurring. Finding the cause of the pain is the first step in chronic pain relief. Chronic Pain Relief - Using MedicationsSometimes the first option for chronic pain relief is treating it with medications. There are many different types of medications that can be used. Over the counter drugs such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen are effective when the pain flares up.The next step after this would be to try using prescription drugs. These medications include antidepressants, corticosteroids and muscle relaxants. These drugs will work sometimes in the short term for bringing chronic back pain relief under control, but there are serious side effects if they are used for long periods of time for chronic pain relief. Due to these side effects, it is a good idea to find other methods of pain relief wile reducing the frequency of the prescription drugs.Chronic Pain Relief - Other OptionsRest is probably the first thing that you should do for a day or two after an injury. After this, physical activity is thought as a good chronic pain relief. Exercise will increase your flexibility and strength and improve muscle tone. Exercise is an important part of having a healthy life style long term and will bring pain relief.If you decide that you are going to start a physical exercise program to relieve chronic pain, make sure you consult your doctor. He may have you work with a physical therapist or maybe a personal trainer. Many people today are using physical trainers to guide them to the right exercises to relieve chronic pain. This will also prevent you from further injuring yourself.You can also employ some natural methods for chronic pain relief. These could be herbal treatments for relief of pain. Herbal relief from pain can be quite effective. There is also acupuncture for pain relief as well as massage therapy. Acupuncture for pain relief has been used effectively for many years. If you have never tried acupuncture for pain relief, maybe you should.After an injury that has caused chronic pain, your doctor may have you start physical therapy to bring strength and condition the injured area.Another natural pain relief method that you can do at home is hot and cold therapy. These can be an effective chronic pain relief treatment. What you do is switch between cold (ice) and then use hot packs to the affected area. These can be extremely effective method to relieve pain.Some people find that aromatherapy and biofeedback techniques help them to relax there muscle. These techniques also allow you to release tension. Both are effective at chronic pain relief. As you can see there are a variety of methods for chronic pain relief. Try each one to determine which will work best for you.For more information on this type of pain and others visit: Acupuncture for Pain Relief
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