Pain is unfortunately something that is felt by millions of Americans every day, especially for people who do a lot of hard labor or are beginning to reach a later age in life. Over fifty million Americans alone suffer from arthritis, while worldwide, it is estimated that 1.5 billion people suffer from some form of chronic pain. There are many pain medicines out there that claim to help with pain management, but there are a number of ways that can be considered for handling your pain, be it something simple like headaches, or something more severe like disc herniation. This article looks at three ways you can manage your pain.
- Traditional pain medicine: One of the easiest ways to handle pain is to use traditional pain medicine to alleviate the symptoms. This treatment works best when the pain comes from something relatively minor like a headache, knee pain, or minor back pain. Basic pain medicine like ibuprofen can be taken several times a day to alleviate the symptoms of pain. However, it should be noted that pain medicine might not always work even if the cause of pain is something minor. It all depends on the individual body and pain medicine doesn’t always work effectively enough if the pain is too large.
- Using Heat or Ice: Another way to manage pain is to apply heat wraps or ice packs to the affected area several times a day until the pain goes away. The feeling of hot and cold can help to relax muscles that are tightening and causing pain to the body. Heat wraps are especially effective for sore backs, as the relief spreads from those muscles to the rest of the body. Heat wraps can be applied either by heating a cloth with hot water or purchasing a heat wrap that uses a chemical reaction to provide heat. Ice packs can also be applied to painful joints, as joint pain can be caused by swelling which can be reduced by the cold. Like heat wraps, ice packs can come from a bag of ice or by purchasing an ice wrap that grows cold when the chemicals inside freeze.
- Acupuncture: For those preferring an alternative means of helping their pain, one avenue to consider is acupuncture. Acupuncture inserts thin needles into specific parts of the body in such a way that it relaxes the body and reduces or even eliminates pain. Acupuncture has been used for centuries as a part of traditional Chinese medicine and is growing increasingly popular as a treatment method for various forms of pain.
In conclusion, there are several ways you can turn to when you need to manage your pain. These include traditional pain medicine, using heat wraps or ice packs, or even turning to alternative therapies such as acupuncture. All of these treatments can help to alleviate various levels of pain that can occur in the body. Handling pain management can be a tricky process sometimes, but if you turn to one of these steps, you should be able to keep your pain levels under control.
