Pain is destructive and can distract you from continuing a normal life. Pain that continues progressing without improvement is what your doctor calls chronic pain, and it can be debilitating. Therefore, your doctor will recommend chronic pain management Dubuque options to help you continue a better life while living with pain. Initially, your treatment may begin with pain medications, but if they do not help, you may need more advanced treatment options. Such advanced options can reduce pain and lower your need for pain medications. The following discussion will cover alternative approaches your doctor may recommend for chronic pain management.
Cryotherapy
Treatment with cryotherapy involves pain relief with cold therapy. Your doctor may recommend cryotherapy to help manage chronic pain by reducing swelling and pain, especially around your joint. Cryotherapy can lower your skin temperature, reduce nerve activity, and reduce pain and swelling. During your treatment, your doctor will expose you to extremely cold temperatures to numb the pain and offer relief. While at home, you can continue cryotherapy by briefly applying ice on the affected area several times daily while checking your skin for sensation. Your doctor may also recommend combining cryotherapy with other pain management options, including pain medications, rehabilitation exercises, and rest.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
Also called TENS, the treatment uses electrical current to help you relieve chronic pain. Electrical nerve stimulation can treat osteoarthritis, low back pain, muscle pain, and tendon inflammation. During treatment, your doctor will connect electrodes to your skin on the treatment area and then allow the device to deliver electrical pulses. Depending on the treatment necessary to help you manage chronic pain, your doctor may adjust the device for intensity and duration. Since transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation treatment is non-invasive, your recovery will be fast.
Relaxation Techniques
Stress can worsen your chronic pain and cause intense feelings of pain feelings which may then lead to more stress and anxiety. Therefore, practicing relaxation techniques can help you manage pain and lower the effects of stress on chronic pain. First, your doctor may recommend breathing a few times deeply daily to help slow the pain down. Secondly, you can divert your attention by thinking about something apart from your pain. Whenever you feel pain, you can stop doing whatever you are doing and try something relaxing like resting and swimming.
Lifestyle Changes
One lifestyle change you can make to help you manage your chronic pain is to reduce your stress levels and avoid the vicious cycle of pain and stress. You can identify your stress triggers and try to avoid them. Another lifestyle change is getting proper sleep to reduce fatigue associated with chronic pain. Your doctor may recommend maintaining a regular sleep schedule and avoiding using the bed as your workplace.
Chronic pain management involves treatments to minimize pain and improve your quality of life. Chronic pain can interfere with your normal ability to work and limit your ability in everyday life. Pain medications may be your first line of treatment, but they can cause uncomfortable side effects and may not fix your chronic pain. Therefore, your doctor may recommend more advanced approaches that effectively lower pain and reduce your reliance on pain medications. You can benefit from the several approaches to managing chronic pain, including electric stimulation, cold therapy, steroid injections, and therapy.
