Popular Types of Treatments to Alleviate, Reduce, and Manage Pain
Pain is an umbrella term that is vaguely used to describe varying degrees of mental, and physical discomfort, agony, trauma, and the like. While a mild pain can be treated quickly within a few hours, some chronic ones last for several months together. An acute or shooting pain is seen to last for a short duration, chronic pain is the one that persists over more extended periods and often develops resistance to most medical treatments. While this can lead to problematic consequences, it is better to treat pain in its infancy. With the advancement of medical science, and technology and the presence of suitable old home remedies, managing pain has become convenient.
Medical treatments
While this is one of the most common types of pain relief treatments, it comes with certain limitations and side-effects. Several people on a daily basis use oral and topical therapies to alleviate pain. Some of the traditional techniques to treat and manage pain have been listed below.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs
Several over-the-counter drugs are useful in treating mild to moderate muscular and bone pain. While these drugs may help manage the immediate problem, their excessive use over an can cause several adverse effects on the sensitive organs of the body.
Several tricyclic anti-depressants help control and relieve pain. However, these should only be taken as, and when prescribed by your doctor in recommended dosage.
Many physicians prescribe these medications to people who suffer from nerve related pain. These medicines are not to be consumed based on need but the prescription of an authorized practitioner.
These come in the form of oral medications or sprays, and ointments used during acute muscle spasms. These are often quite effective in scenarios when you sprain a specific muscle.
New treatments
The advancement of medical technology has led to the invention of several more modern pain relief treatments to relieve moderate to acute, chronic pain. Listed below are some of the medications that you need to know about.
- RFA
Radiofrequency Ablation treatment is especially useful for nerve-related pain, arthritis, and neuropathy. The treatment includes a process that targets nerves to send pain signals through heated needles to the brain. The needle is often placed in proximity to the nerve so that the heat terminates the signal. The treatment brings pain relief in most patients for a period of 8 months to about a year. - Pain shots
This is a process where a combination of drugs is injected directly into the body. Many types of pain shots can be used to treat acute pain. These may include nerve root blocks and epidural steroid injections. - TENS
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation or TENS is a therapy that helps relieve pain. The process of the therapy involves giving pulses of low-voltage electric current to nerve endings. TENS works best in conditions like osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, low back pain, neck pain, tendinitis, bursitis, and the like.
Natural pain relief treatments
Several home remedies and natural cures can help alleviate mild to moderate pain. It is a fact that our diet directly affects our health. Therefore, it only makes sense to believe that certain foods that help relieve pain.
- Turmeric and ginger tea
Turmeric is known to have several benefits. The herb has anti-inflammatory properties that can help a great deal in relieving pain. Turmeric and ginger tea is seen to work rather well in all types of arthritis. You can consume their supplements in the form of a capsule or make a refreshing cup of ginger, and turmeric tea to manage arthritis-related pain. - Epsom salt soak
Soaking your sore joints in a tub of warm water, and Epsom salt works wonderfully well in managing joint, and arthritis pain. In case the inflammation is on an area that cannot be submerged in water, it is recommended that you take a bath with Epsom salt. - Fomentation treatment
This is one of the most common pain relief treatments that seem to help several people struggling with joint, back, and arthritis pain. A fomentation is a noninvasive therapy that involves hot and cold packs to relieve pain.
Alternative therapies
Many complementary therapies like acupressure, biofeedback, guided imagery, healing touch, massage, meditation, and yoga, are known to reduce stress, and tension that pain brings about and therefore, helps reduce the effects of pain. Check out some of the alternative therapies that have been listed below.
- Massages
Massage is a physical therapy used as a part of osteopathic care, and chiropractic therapy that involves a combination of slow presses, and quick prods. Massages can help reduce pain, strengthen muscles, and enhance flexibility and mobility. - Counselling
Chronic pain when it is stemming out of a psychosomatic response can be accompanied by feelings of anxiety, depression, frustration, fear, and anger. In such cases, cognitive behavioral therapies used by counselors can help patients cope with the pain.
