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Pain Management Techniques – What you need to know?

by Team Sehat Cloud
Pain Management Techniques – What you need to know?

Pain Management Techniques – What you need to know?

PainCauses of painSymptoms of PainDiagnosticTreatments without pain medicine

What pain is?

The pain is a signal of the nervous system that something is not right. It is an unpleasant sensation, such as a prick, tingling, stinging, burning, or discomfort. The pain can be sharp or dull – intermittent or constant. You may feel pain in some parts of the body, such as the back, abdomen, chest, or pelvis. Or you may feel widespread pain.

Everyone has already felt pain at one time or another. A cut, injury while playing sports, childbirth, surgery, or kidney stones, all cause the pain of varying intensity. In these cases, the cause of the pain is known, which subsides when the reason disappears. This type of pain is acute pain. Acute pain has its function; it informs the body of an existing disorder.

The chronic pain is the one that lasts several months or even years. In this case, pain rarely has a useful function. It is sometimes very debilitating and often prevents people from working and enjoying the joys of existence. Chronic pain can create feelings of isolation, anger, frustration, and guilt.

What are the causes of pain?

Many injuries or illnesses can cause chronic pain. Some indhttps://www.sehatcloud.com/healthy-living/womens-health/menopauseividuals will continue to experience pain long after an initial injury, such as a back injury. Other chronic pains arise after a chronic disease like arthritis or cancer. Whatever the cause is, chronic pain is real, and treatment is possible.

The following conditions are sometimes associated with chronic pain:

  • Cancer;
  • Fibromyalgia;
  • Spinal trauma;
  • Headaches;
  • A back injury;
  • Arthritis;
  • Inflammation or damage to the nerves.

Symptoms of Pain

Living with chronic pain can create a vicious cycle of anxiety, dependence on others, and lack of sleep. Chronic pain can make healthy daily life for some people difficult; it exhausts them and negatively influences their capacities at work.

People with chronic pain may stop social activities because of pain. They sometimes feel dependent on others for everyday tasks like shopping. A person with pain, or who is afraid of hurting, may have trouble sleeping. Permanent insomnia can lead to depression.

Diagnostic

Pain that lasts for long (more than three months) is chronic pain.

While it is difficult to describe pain accurately, the doctor needs to know how you feel and where the pain comes from, what makes it worse, how it affects your daily life, and what gives you relief. Doctors often use pain scales to quantify the intensity of pain and imaging tests to determine the possible causes.
Treatment and Prevention

Treating chronic pain blocks pain anywhere along its path – from the surface of the skin to the nerves to the thalamus and cerebral cortex. The range of treatments includes traditional prescription drugs as well as alternative therapies.

Painkillers, also called pain relievers, are often used to relieve chronic pain. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and naproxen, can provide some relief. Acetaminophen is very common in this case. These drugs are usually helpful first, and if they are not sufficient, the doctor may add more powerful drugs, such as opioids.

Opioids (also known as narcotics) like morphine and codeine help relieve certain types of pain. They are powerful pain relievers with significant potential for addiction and can cause drowsiness, nausea, constipation, dizziness, and itching.

Although many people are concerned about the possibility of becoming addicted to opioids, addiction is rare when the drug intake is appropriate. Addiction implies a psychological need for abuse, which differs from tolerance (essential for a higher dose to maintain a similar level of pain control) and dependence (feeling of deprivation if the administration of the drug is suddenly null).

Other drugs like corticosteroids reduce the pain caused by bone cancer, and anticonvulsants relieve the pain of nerve damage. Certain types of antidepressants are useful against neurological pain.

What are some treatments without pain medicine?

There are various treatments without medicines that can help with the pain. It is essential to discuss with your health care provider before trying any of them:

RICE technique:

After determining whether or not there should be an infusion, you should treat acute pain through the acronym RICE: rest (rest), ice (ice), compression (compression), and elevation (elevation).

Rest.

Avoid using the affected body part for 24 to 48 hours. If you suspect bleeding, you can also use a splint in the joint to limit its movement.

Ice.

Apply ice to the affected area. Ice tightens blood vessels and helps reduce pain and inflammation.

Compression.

Use elastic bandages in the affected area. Compression serves to reduce pain and prevent bleeding from continuing.

Elevation.

Keep the affected body part elevated. The elevation reduces inflammation.

Acupuncture:

It stimulates specific points in your body. There are different methods for this. The most common inserts thin needles into the skin. More methods include using pressure, electrical stimulation, and heat. The acupuncture exists on the belief that qi (vital energy) flows through the body along pathways called meridians.

Its practitioners think that stimulating acupuncture points can rebalance Qi. Research suggests that acupuncture may help control certain conditions that cause pain.

Biofeedback techniques:

Use electronic tools to measure body functions, such as heart rate and breathing. It teaches you to be more aware of your body’s functions to learn to control them, e.g., a biofeedback device can measure your muscle tension.

By seeing how these measurements change, you may be more aware of when your muscles tense and learn to relax them. Biofeedback can help control pain, including chronic headaches and backaches.

Electrical stimulation:

It uses a tool to send a mild electrical current to nerves or muscles. It can help treat pain by interrupting or blocking pain signals. The types include:

  • Transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS)
  • Peripheral nerve stimulation
  • Deep brain or spinal cord stimulation

Massage therapy:

Treatment in which the soft tissues of the body are squeezed, rubbed, caressed, and tapped. Among other advantages, it can help people relax and relieve stress and pain.

Meditation:

It is a practice that connects the mind with your body. In meditation, you focus your attention on something, such as an object, word, phrase, or breath. It helps you minimize the thoughts or feelings that distract or stress you.

Physiotherapy:

Use techniques such as heat, cold, exercise, massage, and manipulation. It can help control pain, as well as condition the muscles and restore strength.

Psychotherapy (talk therapy):

Use methods such as conversation, listening, and counseling to treat mental and behavioral disorders. It can also help people with pain, especially chronic pain, by:

  • Teach skills to cope with pain and better cope with the stress it can cause
  • Address negative thoughts and emotions that can make the pain worse
  • Deliver emotional support

Surgery:

It may be necessary to treat severe pain, mainly when back problems or serious musculoskeletal injuries cause it. There are always risks when having surgery, and it does not still work to treat pain. Therefore, it is essential to discuss with your health care provider about all your risks and benefits.

Emotional release technique:

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is a form of psychological acupressure. It consists of applying gentle strokes with the fingertips on specific meridians of the head and chest to transfer the kinetic energy, focusing on the particular problem of the patient and positive voice affirmations.

It seeks to deactivate the “short circuit” (emotional blockage) of the body’s bioenergetic system, thus restoring the mental and physical balance, essential for optimal cure of the disease.

Progressive muscle relaxation:

It consists of tensing and relaxing all major muscle groups, one at a time, from head to toe. By learning to feel the difference between tension and relaxation, the fight or flight response of the patient’s body can be more actively disengage from pain, which is the cause of almost all ailments, depression, and stress.

Tai Chi:

While practicing taichí, the patient’s mind should remain focused on body movements, with relaxation and deep breathing, while ignoring thoughts that distract him. Part of the charm of this technique is that it is a very gentle exercise, so it is an ideal form of activity for people with pain or other conditions that prevent more vigorous activity.

You can even practice taichí while in a wheelchair. Medical literature shows that taichí helps reduce depression, anxiety, and stress.

Breathing techniques:

Deep breathing helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, inducing relaxation. The breathing technique called 4, 7, 8 of Dr. Weil works as a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

  • Take a breath through your nose for 4 seconds.
  • Keep that air in the lungs for 7 seconds.
  • Expel all air for 8 seconds.
  • Repeat this process until you fall asleep.

Doctors recommend that during the procedure, the tip of the tongue should keep touching the palate of the mouth.

For its part, the Buteyko breathing method helps improve the oxygenation of body tissues and organs, including the brain. It can be particularly useful for calming panic attacks or controlling anxiety.

Yoga:

Yoga has proven to be particularly beneficial if you suffer from back pain, and it can also be of great benefit to the patient’s mental health. According to recent findings, yoga seems to have a positive effect on conditions such as mild depression, sleep problems, or schizophrenia.

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