8 Ways To Help Your Pain

Did you know that pain has a purpose? For the most part, it’s your body’s way of telling you that all is not well and that you need to change what you’re doing or that it’s time for you to rest, recuperate and recover. Knowing the difference between these two types of pain is important as it will let you diagnose what is best for your body, rather than assuming that you know what you need to do to alleviate the pain.

For instance, let’s say that you sit in an office all day, 5 days a week, and you’ve noticed a pain radiating from your right hip that shoots down your right leg. This pain is more than likely attributed to you sitting for long periods in the same position for weeks, months, and possibly years on end working. Just think if you work for 8 hours, 5 days a week, and you’ve been doing this 10 years, then you’ve sat at your desk working for 20,960 hours or 2,620 days. Phew! No wonder your body is aching. So, in this case, it may be time for you to get up and move more to counteract the action of sitting for prolonged periods.

Then the other type of pain you may be experiencing could be associated with you doing too much. For example, if you’re a gym junkie who works out regularly, then you may be experiencing DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) as a result of a heavy workout. You may also have pain as a result of over-training or overworking a muscle, ligament or joint. When you are training regularly, pain is par for the course as your muscles, ligaments and joints are working harder and growing stronger. If this pain becomes sharp or more than a dull ache, then you may need to check the area to ensure you haven’t sustained an injury.

If you are experiencing pain that just won’t go away, then it’s essential that you do as much as possible to ensure that you get that part of your body back on track. Whether you are worried about weak wrists during weight lifting, or you are dealing with a repetitive strain or sprain injury, you can do more to help your pain than just taking a rest from all the exercise you’re doing. For instance, CBD and fitness can go hand in hand when it comes to taking the edge off of your pain. However, before you consider CBD it’s vital that you consult your doctor and that you also check if you need a prescription for the product in your state or country.

Apart from these tips, we’ve thought of another 8 ways that can help you to manage your pain. Let’s look at these now because there is no need for your pain to overstay its welcome, not when there are ways that you can control it and reduce it.

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Way # 1 Temperature

One of the most popular methods of managing pain is using alternating temperatures. Cold and heat alternation can help to relieve pain for a range of ailments and injuries from repetitive strain through to overworked muscles, and stretched ligaments or bruised and inflamed tissue. If a homemade hot pack or cold pack doesn’t quite do the job, then you can speak to a specialist about heat or cold therapy that can penetrate into the area.

Way # 2 Movement

Yep, even the pain you get from the gym can be solved in the gym, just like that pain you feel when sitting at your desk. Physical activity can help you to interrupt the cycle of pain that you are stuck in. Reduced mobility is one of the issues experienced by those dealing with sciatica, arthritis or even fibromyalgia. But gentle exercise and even swimming can really help you to get through the pain.

Way # 3 Therapy

If you feel that your pain requires more than you can offer then you can speak to a physical therapist or an occupational therapist. These two specialists can help you to fight against the pain you’re experiencing. A physical therapist can help you by giving you a series of exercises that will improve your mobility and your strength, and an occupational therapist can work with you to ensure that you don’t make your pain worse with your lifestyle choices.

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Way # 4 Meditation

If you’re finding the pain hard to manage and it’s frustrating or stressful, then practising meditation and mindfulness can help you to restore harmonious balance. You can also use breathing exercises, which can help you to restore control over your body as you can tune out your natural fight and flight response, which can worsen the pain. Using meditative exercises will let you develop greater mind and body resilience so you lessen the pain you feel.

Way # 5 Yoga

Yoga is an exercise that incorporates meditative practices, breath control and movement to stretch out your muscles and strengthen them at the same time. You can manage a range of pain types with yoga. Lingering injuries can also be helped, too. Yoga will help you to increase your core strength, which will reduce the risk of future sprains, strains, injuries and ailments.

Way # 6 Music

Believe it or not, there are studies that show that music therapy can help to relieve pain as the brain releases the feel-good hormones known as endorphins in response. Classical music, especially, has shown to work very well. There’s no harm in trying your favourite genre, though, especially if it makes you happy.

Way # 7 Massage

Massage, for many, is one of the favoured ways to manage pain as it offers instant relief for many ailments and muscle aches. There are many types of massage available from home treatment where you or your partner use a cold or heat gel, oil or eucalyptus rub to massage your area of pain, or you can visit a massage therapist and have one of many professional massage treatments.

Way # 8 Medication

As a last resort, you can turn to paracetamol or ibuprofen to take the edge off the pain that you are experiencing. If your pain is extreme and you cannot bear it any longer then consider seeing your doctor. You may find that they prescribe a medication that is stronger while you recover.

Want to know more about making your life more enjoyable? Then drop the editor a line and suggest an article topic. InShape News would love to hear from you 🙂

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