Chronic pain is something that up to 40% of all adults in the United States suffer from. This makes it one of the common reasons for doctor visits. When someone has chronic pain, they feel some degree of continuous pain for weeks or months. Even though this is a challenging condition to live with, there are ways to effectively manage the pain.
People will usually automatically assume that resting in bed for extended periods of time is the best approach when dealing with chronic pain. However, this could actually make it last far longer due to the effects of a lack of physical activity. Muscles get stiff, and bones become weaker. Also, quality os sleep will significantly decrease. There are psychological issues that arise as well, including loneliness and depression. Chronic pain gets worse if you take the route of being bed-ridden.
Thankfully, there are several effective methods you can employ in your life if you are dealing with chronic pain. We are going to go over six of the best tips for managing chronic pain.
Exercise
Perhaps the biggest difference you will notice is the use of exercise as a way to relieve chronic pain. Your body is designed for movement. When you keep moving, you keep your body flexible and strong. As long as you don’t take on too much, you will significantly benefit from exercising to relieve chronic pain.
There are a number of great options to choose from. Some of these include:
- Taking a walk
- Swimming
- Riding an exercise bike
- Dancing
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Tai Chi
- Water aerobics
Before doing any of these, you should do some light stretching as well. You should make sure you do this, given how vital it is to loosen up your muscles that can stiffen up.
Even doing everyday errands and household chores will help you stay physically active. Of course, you will not want to take on too much when you feel the pain is too overbearing for you. When there are days when the pain is manageable, you can exercise and help reduce it. As long as you avoid overdoing it, exercise can be incredibly helpful.
Reduce Stress
Stress is sometimes regarded as being the mother of all diseases. This is because it weakens the immune system, which allows for diseases, ailments, and illnesses of all kinds to more easily create distortions within the body’s ecosystem. When you are depressed, anxious, angry, or stressed out in some way, you will become more sensitive to pain.
By reducing stress in your life, you reduce your chronic pain. There are many relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, and soothing music, that can reduce your stress levels.
You can even practice guided imagery techniques that help you escape into a mental world where everything is serene and tranquil. The newfound inner peace you then have will help you manage chronic pain more easily.
Tension and tightness can take hold of your muscles when you become stressed. When you practice stress-reducing techniques, you may not get rid of all the pain, but you become less affected by it.
Maintain a Healthy Diet
You are what you eat. If you feed your body processed and inflammatory foods, you are more likely to either develop or perpetuate chronic pain. The best diet is a well-balanced one full of dark and leafy greens, vegetables of all kinds, whole-grain foods, low-fat dairy, fruit, and lean meats. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich foods are also tremendously helpful in maintaining a healthy diet.
It also goes to mention that a healthy diet should lack certain foods and beverages. Alcohol is a major one that will easily magnify your chronic pain. It will become more challenging to fall asleep when you are regularly drinking alcoholic beverages. Ideally, you should cut alcohol out of your diet entirely. However, if you must, at least significantly reduce the amount that you drink.
Take Pain-Relieving Supplements
As mentioned before, a diet consisting of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich foods will help you manage and relieve chronic pain. However, since the nutritional quality of food has significantly dropped over the past few decades, it has become essential to take supplements. This brings your vitamin, mineral, and nutrient levels back up to where they should be.
One popular supplement that has helped many is JointFuel360. It is effective due to the all-natural ingredients like turmeric and black pepper extract, as well as antioxidants like resveratrol.
Join a Support Group
While this may seem intimidating at first, joining a support group for chronic pain sufferers can be very helpful. This is due to feeling supported by others and belonging to a group. Humans are relational beings who need a sense of community to maintain a positive mental state.
There is an enormous amount of wisdom within a group coping with chronic pain. Their knowledge and advice can provide you with insights that are hard to find anywhere else. There are many groups today for chronic pain, given how many people suffer from it. Even in places where it’s challenging to physically get together today, support groups have shifted to being online in video meetings. While perhaps not ideal, it will still definitely help more than not being part of a support group at all.
Massage
Finally, getting massages regularly can both reduce physical tension, as well as stress. People suffering from chronic pain swear by massages, especially for back and neck stiffness. Seek out a professional massage therapist who has experience with providing this relief for those suffering from chronic pain.
Wrapping Up
Don’t wait until joint pain sets in. You can implement strategies for health and wellness over the long term. An active lifestyle, combined with a healthy diet and quality health supplements is a great way to help you keep moving!
* These statements have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
SOURCES
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/ageing-muscles-bones-and-joints
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/staying-healthy/effects-of-aging/
https://www.healthline.com/health/osteoarthritis/understanding-aging-and-joints
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/5-best-ways-to-safeguard-your-joints-as-you-age/
https://www.healthline.com/health/improving-mobility-in-old-age
https://hcamidwest.com/blog/entry/aging-bone-joints
https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/special-topic/aging-changes-in-the-bones-muscles-joints
https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/features/common-pains-of-age
https://www.bannerhealth.com/staying-well/expert/joint-pain-aging
https://www.physio-pedia.com/Effects_of_Ageing_on_Joints
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/staying-healthy/smoking-and-musculoskeletal-health
