Written By Kara Masterson / Reviewed By Ray Spotts
Pain is something that many people live with constantly as simply a part of their daily lives. This, unfortunately, diminishes your quality of life though, as it can be hard for you to complete daily or recreational activities if you are constantly in pain.
Maybe even finding the motivation to do things can become impossible if you’re hurting. However, there are things that you can do to try and mitigate what you’re experiencing.
Cold And Heat
Different temperatures have different effects on a person’s body, especially when directly applied against you skin. Ice packs and heating pads can be used in order to help alleviate pain in sore muscles. Cold compresses and ice packs tend to numb the affected areas and reduce swelling.
Heat can reduce inflammation and open up the blood vessels. You can switch between hot and cold forms of therapy, applying ice to your skin for no longer than 15 minutes, then switch to a heating pad a few hours later.
Move Your Body
Moving is probably the last thing on your mind if you suffer from chronic pain. However, exercise can be effective for pain relief as it does things like prevent your joints from getting stiff, loosen up your muscles, and promote blood flow.
Keep in mind that there are long-term benefits to exercise too. For example, if you get approximately 30 minutes of exercise per day, then eventually you’ll be able to notice a major difference in your pain levels, especially compared to before you started exercising.
Talk to your physician about the types of exercises that are good for you or that you’re able to do depending on what is causing you pain. It is best for you to perform a mix of cardio exercises and strength training exercises, anything to get you limber and your blood pumping.
Get A Therapeutic Massage
A massage is often thought of as a luxury. However, it does have therapeutic benefits that you can certainly take advantage of. A massage is great for alleviating pain because it can help your muscles relax.
Massages have been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, both of which can cause you to carry a lot of tension in your muscles. It’s recommended you look into getting a deep tissue massage, as more pressure is applied which can really help in releasing tension and stress.
Talk to Your Healthcare Provider
There are many things that you can do at home in order to alleviate your pain. However, if the pain is intense enough, or still seems unmanageable no matter what you do, then it is a good idea for you to consult with your physician.
Your doctor can order a variety of tests in order to find out exactly what is causing your pain or advise other treatment methods to try and alleviate it.
No one likes to be in pain, and when confronted with it will do whatever they can to make it stop. This should include attempting to understand exactly why you’re in pain and what can be done to treat it.
Working with your doctor or specialists that he can recommend is the quickest way to understanding exactly what is causing your pain. In the meantime, you should look into various pain reliving medications, and if you wish for stronger versions, you can get a prescription from your doctor.
The only potential downside to this is the potential side effects such as sedation, drowsiness, nausea, or even constipation. Your dosage may also have to be adjusted depending on how bad your pain is and how much your prescription either lessens or at least makes it manageable.
Chronic pain is a common issue that plagues many people, but it isn't something that has to ruin your day or even your life. There are many ways that you can alleviate your pain, such as by using various common hot and cold therapies such as ice packs and heating pads.
You can also exercise to lower your pain level. It is a good idea for you to get a therapeutic massage. Furthermore, you need to consult with your healthcare provider to truly understand why you’re in pain and what he can do about it.
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Written By:
Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from Utah. She enjoys tennis and spending time with her family.
Reviewed By:
Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.