Pain, of any kind, can make life extremely uncomfortable and stressful. It can take a toll on our daily routine besides affecting our emotional wellbeing. It can remain for weeks or months, causing unnecessary suffering and getting into the way of quality of life.
If the pain has gone overboard with its stay in your body, you should know that there are many kinds of treatments available for the same. Before getting into the details of pain management techniques, let us try to understand the two kinds of pains that exist.
Pain can be mild or extreme. It can be dull or sharp. One can feel it in one part of the body or it may gradually spread to other body parts.
There are two main kinds of pain:
1. Acute pain – a usual response to a medical condition or an injury. It is mostly short-lived and starts suddenly.
2. Chronic pain – It continues for a longer period, lasting for 3 months or even more. This kind of pain remains for extended time periods without any signs of improvement.
1. Injury
2. Medical conditions (such as arthritis, back problems, etc.)
3. Surgery.
Try to understand the kind of pain your body is going through before opting for a pain management technique. Two of the most important things one can do to manage pain are taking a healthy diet and remaining active by doing some form of a physical exercise on a daily basis.
There are plenty of non-invasive techniques that can cure you out of the pain. Some of such pain management techniques have been mentioned below.
These are two of the time-tested methods which have become a part of our culture, in short, one can truly call them grandma’s remedies. Go for a homemade hot or cold pack. If that doesn’t work, there are various versions of it that are known to the physical therapist or chiropractor. The options they would recommend would penetrate deeper, helping the muscle and tissue.
Physical activity certainly plays a significant role in breaking the cycle of pain. Opt for gentle aerobics or not so strenuous activities like walking, cycling, or swimming.
Physical therapists will suggest exercises that would improve your strength and mobility.
Occupational therapists will help in performing your daily activities in such a way that they do not enhance your pain.
These pain management techniques help in restoring your control over your body. Some of them include meditation, breathing exercises, mindfulness, etc.
Try to recognize your stress triggers. Write down the things that cause you stress and finally think about ways you can reduce or probably eliminate the triggers.
Practice relaxation techniques such as visual imagery which will help you manage your day calmly and in a balanced way.
These exercises involve breath control, movements to strengthen muscles, and meditation. Both of these practices are highly beneficial in managing headaches, arthritis pain, etc.
This technique includes a biofeedback machine that helps one learn relaxation and breathing exercises. This machine turns data on physiological functions like heart rate into visual cues. When one Watches or modifies the visualizations, it gives him/her a degree of control over one’s bodily response to pain.
Not just an indulgence, massage can ease pain by working tension out of muscles and joints, relieving stress and anxiety, and possibly helping to distract you from pain by introducing a “competing” sensation that overrides pain signals. Massage helps in driving away from the tension that exists in muscles or joints. It relieves one of stress and anxiety.
Who doesn’t know the benefits of listening to good music. It transports you into another world where there is nothing called pain or discomfort. It keeps you distracted and makes you happy.
It involves low voltage electrical currents passing through the skin with the help of electrodes. These currents prompt a pain-relieving response from the body.
Now let’s move on to the major pain management techniques which are gaining popularity and working wonders in reducing joint pains. But do we really know what joint pains truly are? Take a look.
Our joints help us to move by offering structural support. When the joints get damaged or affected, they hamper our daily movements and cause severe pain in the knees, hips, shoulders, ankles, etc.
This is where comes the role of alternative treatments like PRP therapy.
Osteoarthritis is a major cause of disability and it affects the knees more than any other joint. The role of Platelet Rich Plasma therapy plays an important part to provide symptomatic relief and it seems to be as effective as intra-articular hyaluronic acid as well as steroid injections. This therapy is a minimally invasive intervention that could be used to enhance tissue regeneration.
Our blood has plasma (the liquid part of the blood) which includes regenerative components like platelets. Platelets help the body in healing or repairing damaged tissue such as our joints. They promote growth. PRP therapy uses a person’s plasma in turn helping the tissues of the body repair themselves by letting new cells form. It reverses the existing tissue damage and helps one stay active without pain or getting into the process of knee replacement surgeries.
A person’s platelet supply of plasma is injected into his/her joints like knees, shoulders or ankles to reduce pain or stiffness. A small amount of blood would be drawn from the patient’s arm. The blood sample is then put into a centrifuge into two layers: an inferior layer that contains erythrocytes and a superior layer that consists of plasma, in which the platelet layer will be isolated and then injected into the knee of the patient under a sterile environment.
No general anaesthesia is required. A patient can immediately return to his/her daily activities. The results do take time to get noticed by the patient. Platelet-rich plasma therapy has become immensely popular as a regenerative treatment therapy for joint pain.
1. Inhibits inflammation and slows down osteoarthritis
2. Activates the formation of new cartilage
3. Eases painful joint friction by increasing the production of natural fluid in the joint
4. Reduces pain sensation
Osteoarthritis of the knee results in pain because of the wear and tear in the cartilage of the knee joint.
Swelling of the joint
Knee joint pain
Reduced movements
Knee replacement surgery
Exercises to reduce weight
Pain killers
If you do not want to go through knee replacement surgery, then this is something you can opt for.
Cooled Radiofrequency treatment is an alternative for people suffering from chronic knee pain. It is a non-surgical method. One can resume normal activities soon after the procedure. A small area of nerve is heated up using the electric current of the radio waves. So basically, the Cooled Radiofrequency reduces the pain signals which are transmitted by the nerves.
Needles are placed close to the nerves using X-Ray machines or Ultrasound. A small electric current is passed to test the position of the needle. These nerves are then heated and the water is circulated through the device. This creates a treatment area larger than with traditional radiofrequency treatments. The process is done in two steps. First of all, local anaesthetic injections are used close to the nerves. If this results in pain relief then one can proceed with cooled radiofrequency treatment. In the second step, radiofrequency needles are placed in the same locations. Then follows the cooled radiofrequency treatment.
Cooled radiofrequency treatment can be used to interrupt pain nerves from hips, Lumbar spine, knees, sacroiliac joint, thoracic spine and cervical spine.
The pain relief lasts up to 12 months along with improved mobility.
No general anesthesia is required and the patient can return home soon after.
The recovery happens with minimal pain or discomfort.
There is a reduced need for medication for relief.
All in all, before getting into any kind of treatment, understand the cause of the pain and discuss it with your doctor who would help you take charge of your body in the best possible manner. Visit Amandeep Hospital and speak to the experts about most effective pain management techniques.
May 6, 2024
