Ways To Reduce Chronic Pain

Everyone gets hurt at one point in their life. Sometimes the pain can last a few seconds, minutes, days, or even months. When the pain becomes long-term term it becomes chronic and harder to deal with. In the United States alone there are around 25% of people who experience chronic pain. Coping with pain alone can be difficult. Luckily there are professionals here to help find ways to reduce the overall pain and allow people to get back to their daily activities. Depending on what your situation is, there are many ways to go about the healing process and getting your body stronger to do normal tasks without pain.  Chronic pain can stem from different reasons, which can occur from injuries, diseases, or psychological factors such as stress. 

Figure 1. When pain persists for more than 12 weeks it has become chronic, which can be difficult to deal with if it goes untreated. Making sure you can move without pain is important to living independently. 

Acute pain is different from chronic pain because it can be intense for a short period of time such as a broken bone or scraping your skin on cement. Once the pain begins, it does not take long for your body to heal and for you to move on. Trauma is the leading cause of acute pain, such as an injury to your body’s tissues. A large difference between chronic and acute pain is the length of time the pain persists. Pain can be located in any part of the body, as seen in Figure 1.  When it is more than 12 weeks it is considered chronic pain. As time goes on, it can be difficult to manage. When the pain continues for longer than a month, seeing a professional would be beneficial to figure out the next steps to help reduce pain levels. Your physician can recommend medications and alternative techniques to assist with your pain and allow you to gain control of your body and do the tasks with more confidence. 

Figure 2. Acupuncture can be used as a method of dealing with chronic pain by targeting specific areas of the body that are impacted. Needles will be places where it can be the most impactful for the healing process. 

Taking medication can help with managing pain but it is not a long-term solution. It takes more than numbing medication to heal the body from injury or disease. Combining medication with different forms of therapy can help speed up the process of healing. Medication can have side effects that may leave you feeling worse. One of the best things to do when having chronic pain is to move your body. Exercise is crucial in the healing process because of the ability to strengthen and loosen up tight muscles. Chronic pain can be reduced with exercise and allows for your body to release endorphins, reduce overall pain, improve sleep, and allows for your body to relax to recover even more. Physiotherapy is one of the ways to help relieve pain without medication. 

Physiotherapists are professionals who help people recover from injuries, surgery, and overall physical pain. Seeing a physiotherapist will speed up your recovery with personalized exercises and techniques fit for your body. If you do the “homework” and listen to what is recommended, chronic pain can be managed. At Health Bound Health Network, our physiotherapy services offer top-notch care, including access to advanced tools like the TENS machine, which uses electrical stimulation to alleviate pain or discomfort. It can help relieve pain before exercises begin and let your body relax. It does not always work for everyone, but if the physiotherapist thinks it would be beneficial it would be provided. We have a variety of tools at the clinic that can assist with treating patients and help reduce overall pain, the TENS machine is just an example of one method to help ease the process. Some physiotherapists can provide acupuncture to different parts of the body to help target pain. Figure 2 shows an example of acupuncture on the back. Chronic pain can be reduced by seeing a physiotherapist and working on a treatment plan to get you back to moving your body with ease. 

Figure 3. Resistance bands are a great way to use your own strength to build muscle and gain mobility back. They are easy to find at stores and are great for exercising at home. 

There are many ways to strengthen your body in the clinic as well as at home. Machines may be used at the clinic, TENS, weights, exercise balls, and resistance bands. Figure 3, displays the usage of resistance bands as one of the exercise routines. Even using your own body weight can assist in the process of increasing flexibility and benefiting your recovery process. Exercises can be printed out for visual representation and reference or emailed so you always have a copy available to you. Here at Health Bound Health Network, we want you to be able to leave here feeling stronger than you were before you arrived. We would love to be part of your recovery journey and see you live your life with confidence. We will use all of our resources to help you get through this. Chronic pain can be very difficult to live with and we want to be here to support you in reaching your goal. Being stuck in limited movement can be hard not only on the body but the mind as well. There have been many studies to show that chronic pain can cause anxiety and depression. Mental impacts can make the healing process hard without support. The benefits of working out go far beyond just physical improvements. There are positive results from living an active lifestyle and working out during the week. There have been no negative impacts from moving your body mindfully. 

Figure 4. Yoga is a perfect way to join a community where modifications are welcomed and breathing is the most important part. Incorporating meditation within the yoga practice and your life can be a great way to reduce overall stress levels. 

There are many ways to move your body that do not need to be at home or in the gym. Yoga is a very mindful movement that can be beneficial to regaining flexibility. There are always modified positions to try that would allow you to get the stretch you need for your body. As you develop your skills and become more flexible, it will be easier for you to move farther and do more with each position. Meditation can also ease the mind and allow you to relax your body. Often meditation is included in the last 5-10 minutes of yoga. Practicing meditation on your own can also reduce stress and help your body focus on healing. Sometimes it takes more than one method to make your body get back to where it needs to be. Yoga mats can be placed anywhere there is space to unroll it as seen in Figure 4. Lifestyle changes might also need to be made depending on your age and situation and how fast you heal and what might be delaying your progress. Either way Health Bound is here to help you figure out how to reduce your chronic pain and get you back to where you want to be. 

Chronic pain is not easy to deal with but it is something that needs to be treated so that you can live a life you are happy about. Healing takes time but Health Bound Health Network has a wide range of clinics and teams here to assist you. Our physiotherapists are here to help you strengthen your body and increase your flexibility to feel the benefits of mindfully moving your body. We have locations in Markham, Toronto, Etobicoke, Hamilton and Barrie. If you have any questions please call us at 416-548-7872 or email us at [email protected].

By: Maria Votsis