Have you been suffering for far too long because of searing pain in your back or neck area? Is the pain too great that you can’t think straight or function properly? If you’ve been experiencing this level of pain for over a month or longer, then you’re probably suffering from a condition called chronic pain.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), back in 2016, chronic pain affected some 20.4 percent of American adults, with around 8 percent diagnosed with high-impact cases of the illness. Of those with the condition, among the noted ill effects include depression, opioid dependence, and reduced life quality, perceived or real.
The CDC also noted that chronic pain condition is highly prevalent in adults who only have elementary education, are living in poverty, and with public health insurance coverage.
If you’ve been silently or openly suffering from this debilitating condition, you need to act fast and explore non-surgical means of addressing the illness given the high costs of traditional surgical procedures. Here are seven of the best non-invasive means of treating chronic pain that you should try out soon:
Chiropractic care.
Chiropractic care is among the top treatment options for suffering patients who do not like the idea of going under the knife to address their condition. With the expert hands of a licensed chiropractor, a chronic pain patient can finally be relieved of long-standing suffering after a few sessions. Ultimately, patients could regain lost opportunities and enjoy a better quality of life following the end of their chiropractic treatment program.
Acupuncture.
As a means of treating chronic pain, acupuncture is easily the oldest method out there as it has been practiced by the Chinese for centuries already. This Oriental pain treatment procedure involves the use of fine needles that are pierced into the skin at strategic points. By targeting these strategic locations on a person’s body, the therapist effectively stimulates tissues and nerves, which in turn release pain-controlling chemicals that alleviates chronic pain.
Biofeedback.
No less than the Harvard Medical School listed biofeedback as among the highly recommended non-surgical way of treating chronic pain illness. This particular remedy involves a combination of breathing exercises and relaxation techniques that are both facilitated by a biofeedback machine. This revolutionary device monitors a patient’s blood pressure and heart rate, among others, and turn them into graphs and animations that let a patient visualize his or her body’s reaction to pain. Through such visual cues, the suffering patient learns to control how the body responds to the pain, which eventually results in getting the illness cured.
TENS.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-surgical chronic pain treatment that involves using an electrical current to alleviate the suffering of a chronic pain patient. People administering this treatment method use a small device that emits low-voltage electricity meant to stimulate portions of the patient’s skin, specifically those near the affected area. This leads to a sensation similar to a soothing flow of electricity that relaxes the muscles and helps ease the pain.
Injection-based treatment methods.
Several types of treatment involve the use of injectibles meant to target pain. These include epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks and ablations, and similar procedures administered through injections. They result in decreased pain that helps patients regain control over their bodies once the pain has subsided due to the injections.
Pharmacologic.
Pharmacologic treatment simply refers to the administering of pain medicines such as muscle relaxants, analgesics, and anti-inflammatory drugs. These prescription medicines deliver near-instantaneous pain relief that is highly favored by patients who want a quick escape from the excruciating pain caused by their condition. Pharmacologic treatment, however, is generally not ideal if the treatment program is expected to last long. This is due to the proven fact that such a treatment option could only create another problem — opioid dependency or addiction.
Physical therapy.
Another highly popular means of addressing chronic pain is physical therapy. Just like chiropractic care, this non-invasive treatment method is done by a licensed professional called a PT (physical therapist), who guides the patient through an array of exercise regimens designed to slowly treat the patient’s chronic pain illness. Once finished, patients can expect enhanced mobility and freedom from debilitating pain that they suffered from for far too long.
Keep in mind that you don’t needlessly have to suffer from your condition since there are ways to treat it. Just choose from among these treatment options one or two that work best to your advantage, so you’ll soon lead an active life once more.
