Having Physical Pain? 8 Non-Drug Tactics to Eliminate Back, Joint & Other Pain
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For the majority of Americans, pain -- either chronic or the kind that comes and goes -- is a way of life. More than half of us suffer from physical pain, which means that if you were to stop someone randomly on the street and ask "Are you in pain?" chances are high that they'd say yes.
This finding comes from a nationwide phone survey of over 1,200 Americans, sponsored by Stanford University Medical Center, ABC News and USA Today. Back pain was the most common type of pain reported, followed by knee and shoulder pain, joint pain and headaches.
When pain strikes, about 80 percent of Americans reach for over-the-counter drugs or home remedies to help. 60 percent have also tried other pain-relief methods including prescription drugs, bed rest and prayer. More than 10 percent of adults now rely on prescription painkillers everyday (interestingly, the survey reported that prayer and prescription drugs worked best, and equally well, in addressing Americans' pain).
And the pain is more than just a mere nuisance, as it can severely impact people's work, relationships, mood and more.
"Pain has been a hidden disease; it has not received as much attention as other diseases. But now there's a growing recognition that pain really is not just the sensation we have--it's something that interferes with every one of us, with life," said Raymond Gaeta, M.D., associate professor of anesthesia at the Stanford School of Medicine and director of pain management services at Stanford Hospital & Clinics.
A separate phone survey of 800 adults, the Americans Living with Pain Survey (ALPS), found similar results. Two out of three respondents said that their pain led to stress and irritability, while:
"This survey demonstrates that chronic pain is a problem that has reached near epidemic proportions," said Edward Covington, M.D., director of the Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program at the Cleveland Clinic. "The 'can do, can cope' spirit of Americans can lead to untreated chronic pain, which has a severe impact on people's work, personal relationships, hobbies, and even sex, and can greatly diminish their quality of life. In addition to physical disability, it may also lead to irritability, anxiety, or depression."
To look at the glass half-full, pain can be construed as a good thing. It serves as a warning of a deeper, underlying problem, which otherwise may have gone unnoticed. So it's extremely important not to simply ignore or mask your pain, but rather to seek out and address the problem that's causing you to be in pain. Once that problem has been addressed, it's likely the pain will subside. In the event that it doesn't, here are eight methods you can try to reduce and eliminate pain, without relying on prescription or over-the-counter drugs.
1. Deep and Proper Sleeping/Relaxation
Says Dr. Neil B. Kavey, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City, sleep is the time when your body is able to do repair work. So whether you're in pain from an injury or due to an underlying condition, your body will be able to fight and work toward healing that pain while you sleep.
Pain and sleep is a bit of a catch-22 though, in that often people with pain have trouble falling asleep. If this sounds familiar please call and make an appointment today.
Relaxation is also important, not only in helping you to fall asleep, but by reducing tension in your muscles, which can help to relieve pain or keep it from getting worse. Being relaxed may also help any other pain relief methods you're using to work better. To help you relax, elevate your levels of magnesium.
2. Prayer/Meditation
Similar to relaxation, meditation and prayer are ways to calm your body, focus your mind and reduce stress, all of which can help to lessen your feelings of pain. Prayer is the most commonly practiced type of meditation, and according to the first study it ranked right up there with prescription drugs for its ability to relieve pain - obviously without any of the possible negative side effects of drugs!
"Prayer falls in the category of having patients learn about the meaning of their pain. Sometimes patients do need to be introspective before they can move forward," said Gaeta.
Meditation includes concentration meditations, in which you focus your mind on a single object, phrase or thought and often practice deep breathing as well, and exercise meditations like yoga, tai chi and qi gong. Even reading, thinking about those you love and writing can be forms of meditation. Pick the method that feels most naturally alluring to you.
3. Stretching
After three weeks of stretching, stretching expert Jacques Gauthier was able to reduce his pain by 50 percent. Stretching helps to reduce tension in your muscles, improve flexibility and range of motion, and may slow the degeneration of your joints. The act of stretching alone will also improve your blood circulation and help you to relax--a key to pain relief.
To learn how to do the right type of stretching--the kind that actually feel good while you do them (and after!)--consider Gauthier stretching DVD.
4. Reduce/Prevent Inflammation
When your body is in a chronic state of inflammation, the inflammation can lodge in your muscles, joints and tissues. Over time, this can lead to physical pain, as well as a number of diseases including heart disease. Emotions (too much stress), diet and lifestyle all contribute to inflammation.
One of the safest, low-risk things you can do to lower your risk of inflammation is to modify your lifestyle and dietary choices. This means eating a variety of anti-inflammatory foods (fruits and vegetables), limiting or avoiding all together the pro-inflammatory foods (highly processed foods, high-sugar foods, trans fats, etc.), exercising and quitting smoking (if you do).
Unfortunately, many conventional methods to treat inflammation are high in risk. These have included medications like COX-2 inhibitors (Vioxx, Bextra, Celebrex, etc.), which have been highlighted in the media lately because of their link to heart problems. To discuss what could be the best alternatives for your health condition please make an appointment.
5. Regular Exercise
"One of the most important aspects of managing one's pain is taking an active role in care and becoming part of the treatment team," says Penney Cowan, executive director of the American Chronic Pain Association. "There are many treatment options available to help people reduce the effects of pain in their lives. Proactive behavior such as recognizing emotions and practicing relaxation techniques to reduce stress, pacing activities and working within personal limits, and exercising on a regular basis may contribute to better pain control."
Although you may be tempted to not move around much when you're facing pain, a regular exercise program can actually help to relieve pain. According to the Mayo clinic, exercise works by prompting your body to release chemicals called endorphins that actually block pain signals from reaching your brain.
"Endorphins are the body's natural pain-relieving chemicals that in many cases are more powerful than morphine," says Edward Laskowski, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist and co-director of the Sports Medicine Center at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
Plus, exercise will help you to sleep better, have more energy to cope with your pain, and lose weight, which will relieve any excess strain on your joints. If you're currently in pain, remember to consult your physician before starting any exercise program.
6. Chiropractic
According to the American Chiropractic Association:
Chiropractic is a branch of the healing arts which is concerned with human health and disease processes. Doctors of Chiropractic are physicians who consider man as an integrated being and give special attention to the physiological and biochemical aspects including structural, spinal, musculoskeletal, neurological, vascular, nutritional, emotional and environmental relationships.
EPIC Sound Waves: Proven Advanced Chiropractic Leading Edge Treatment
Proven Highly Effective for Neck Pain
Instead of taking medication to treat neck pain, chiropractic adjustments can be a safer, more effective option. There are none of the side effects associated with taking medication, and you do not have to be concerned about addiction or having to be weaned off a powerful painkiller when their course of treatment is finished.
Most people realize that their pain is coming from something physically wrong with their neck. The use of medications is a chemical treatment. Chemical treatments can only potentially impact symptoms but cannot fix a physical problem. Physical problems require physical corrections.
EPIC Sound Wave Chiropractic Care gets to the root of the neck pain, instead of simply masking the cause of the pain symptoms with drugs. The gentle perfected sound wave movement of an EPIC procedure has surpassed most other options. EPIC procedure first identifies the exact cause and then does the adjustment with sound waves that can accurately restore the spinal alignment thereby helping to reduce pain or eliminate it completely, speeding up the healing process (without resorting to using medications, which are clearly dangerous, as well as ineffective when compared to natural treatment methods).
A study published in August 2023 in the American Journal of Biomedical Science & Research correlated a nearly 70% reduction in neck pain within just 2 weeks of EPIC spinal care and a nearly 60% improvement in neck disability in the same short period of time.
Is Your Head On Straight?
Upper Neck Misalignment Syndrome has been noted in studies a as a very common occurrence. A recent study published in November 2023 in the medical research journal Cureous found that 79% of people evaluated had upper neck subluxations.
It is known that upper neck conditions can cause the spine to twist, can cause various functional and neurological pain problems, and can even cause head and brain conditions. From Migraines and dizziness to scoliosis and spinal pain, upper neck subluxations are one of the most damaging, yet most underdiagnosed, conditions for even children and developing athletes.
Proven Non-invasive Solution
Ongoing conditions, not properly diagnosed, can linger for decades, or even entire lifetimes.
Fortunately, there are physicians trained to specifically identify and gently correct this upper neck condition using non-invasive leading edge, patented EPIC Sound Wave Technology. No guessing, no opinions, no experimenting, and no trying…just provable corrective results delivered at the speed of sound.
Go to epicclinics.com for more information.
If you are living with neck pain, call today to book an appointment to find out how an EPIC Sound Wave chiropractic adjustment can help you. Your initial appointment will include a detailed health history, including any chronic illnesses. Be sure to share any prior injuries to your neck and what, if any, circumstances led to your current neck pain.
You will also need to share any medications you are currently taking. This includes any prescription drugs, as well as over-the counter preparations, vitamins, or herbal remedies. Some patients find it easiest to bring to their appointments all their drug and supplement containers to assure there is no confusion or misunderstood names. This can sometimes help identify the ingredients in unusual generic supplements.
Neck pain is a common health complaint, but that doesn't mean that you should simply grin and bear it, or reach for a pill bottle to get relief. For long-term relief, chiropractic treatments are a safe and effective choice for identifying and addressing the cause often with immediate relief (vs. temporary drug treatments of the pain symptoms which can sadly lead to additional health problems listed as WARNINGS on most drug containers)!
There is no reason to suffer. Make an appointment today if you are experiencing neck pain.
Many Doctors of Chiropractic are different, and may use varying chiropractic methods to relieve your pain. According to the first survey above, chiropractic (and massage therapy) ranked very very high at relieving pain.
7. Massage Therapy
The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) says massage therapy:
Further, according to an American Hospital Association survey about their use of CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) therapies, nearly 82 percent of the hospitals offering CAM therapies offered massage therapy. More than 70 percent of these used the massage therapy for the purpose of pain management and relief.
8. Hot or Cold Packs
Applying a hot pad or cold pack to your area of pain can provide temporary relief. Hot pads are helpful for sore muscles, while cold packs work by numbing the affected area. If you've only tried one or the other, switch to the opposite and see if it works. Be careful not to use a pad that is too hot or too cold, and when using a cold pack, wrap it in a towel so you don't expose your skin to the cold.
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Sources
Medical News Today: Back pain: Causes, symptoms, and treatments
The Mayo Clinic
Orthopedic and Rheumatology Open Access Journal: "Scientific Rationale, Clinical Protocols, and Positive Patient Outcomes of the EPIC Technique Spinal Procedure"
American Journal of Biomedical Research and Science: "EPIC Spinal Procedure with Sound Wave Technology Induces Biomechanical Alignment Putatively Influencing Pain Response"
CUREUS Medical Research Journal published 11/19/2023: "Secondary Analysis of a Dataset to Estimate the Prevalence of Vertebral Subluxation and Its Implications for Health Promotion and Prevention"
US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health Bronfort G et al. Spinal manipulation, medication, or home exercise with advice for acute and subacute neck pain: a randomized trial Ann Intern Med.;156(1 Pt 1):1-10.
MedlinePlus. Ibuprofen IMPORTANT WARNING
The American Journal of Medicine, Volume 105, Issue 1, Supplement 2 , Pages 31S-38S
CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, / 61(01);10-13
Arch Intern Med.
New England Journal Medicine; 355:885-895
