10 Habits That Will Help You Get Rid Of Chronic Pain Once And For All | Pain related exercise videos slideshows | Body & Health Conditions center

Exercise (Endorphin Boost)

Earlier doctors prescribed bed rest as a method pain relief for back pain. But recent studies suggest that exercise actually improves the pain threshold and relieves chronic pain. Exercise increases the release of endorphins in the brain, inhibiting pain mechanisms. Exercise improves circulation to tissues and washes off pain causing chemicals like prostaglandin. Exercise promotes serotonin production in the brain. Serotonin is the feel-good chemical in the brain. A higher level of contentment reduces chronic pain. It is very important to have a qualified personal trainer with you while you exercise. He will show you what to do and what not to do. He will also assess your posture and correct defects that might be the root cause of any muscle pains.

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Clinical medicine by Kumar and Clark

Breathing

Breathing deeply oxygenates your blood and helps cells produce energy by burning off glucose, fats and proteins. When the blood oxygen level is insufficient, cells switch into anaerobic respiration. Glucose burns off, building up a debt of oxygen. Lactic acid is the end result of anaerobic respiration. Lactic acid accumulation inside the muscles results in cramps and severe pain. In a patient with chronic muscle pain, the pain of lactic acid accumulation is especially severe. After intense exercise, rapid breathing pays off the oxygen debt and helps remove lactic acid. Breathing deeply and regularly saturates the blood with oxygen delaying onset of anaerobic respiration.

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Clinical medicine by Kumar and Clark

Biofeedback

The principle of biofeedback is to build up awareness of internal bodily functions in order to gain a certain degree of control over normally involuntary functions. While the exact mechanisms are not known, research show that biofeedback promotes relaxation. During biofeedback therapy, electrodes sense and display various vitals. A therapist guides the patient through relaxation exercises targeted at fine tuning various responses. Breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness and imagery are some of the commonly used techniques. Biofeedback sessions normally last about half an hour. According to the indication, the total number of sessions required to improve may vary. Chronic pain, headache, high blood pressure and urinary incontinence are some known uses.

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Clinical medicine by Kumar and Clark

Avoid Alcohol

Alcohol is a potent inhibitor of brain function. It is one of the earliest pain medications. Pain sensation goes up the spinal cord along the lateral spino-thalamic tracts. These fibers are C-type nerve fibers. They are thin, rapid conducting fibers that are susceptible to pain relieving agents and resistant to pressure. Alcohol acts on these fibers as well as centrally on the brain to reduce pain. Therefore there is no doubt that alcohol reduces pain. The problem with alcohol is, with time body starts to tolerate it. The same amount does not give the same effect for long. Therefore intake increases progressively. Then, due to dependence the body comes to a stage where it cannot function properly without alcohol. These conditions lead to alcohol abuse. Long term consumption of alcohol increases the risk of heart diseases, strokes and liver diseases.

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Clinical medicine by Kumar and Clark

Quit Smoking

Cigarette smoke contains hundreds of toxic substances. The liver detoxifies some of it, but regular smoking will overwhelm the body’s detoxification capacity. Smoke damages tissues releasing pain causing chemicals like prostaglandin. Prostaglandins interact with peripheral sensory nerve endings to produce pain. Smoking damages the inner lining of blood vessels. Atherosclerotic plaques form on vessel walls and blood supply to distal body parts diminish. Poor blood supply leads to accumulation of pain chemicals in tissues. Smoke also damages nerves and leads to neuropathic pain. Even after a relatively long history of smoking, heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease risks drop significantly within a month after stopping smoking. In one year the risk is about half what it was.

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Clinical medicine by Kumar and Clark

Eat Healthier

Studies have shown that obese people feel pain more intensely. Obese people have more fat tissue. Fat tissue has a relatively poor blood supply and pain chemical tend to accumulate easily in fat tissue. When fat deposition under the skin is high, these chemicals stimulate pain sensitive nerves situated in deep layers of the skin. A sure way to lose weight is eating healthy. The daily energy requirement varies according to the workload. Diet should contain fewer calories than needed if the goal is to lose weight. The diet should contain carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and other micronutrients in balanced proportions.

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Keep a ‘pain journal’

Pain journal helps pain relief by acting as an assessment tool. The amount of pain felt should be graded and recorded. The frequency of painful attacks should be recorded as well. Then the response to various pain relief methods used can be analysed and best effective methods can be used regularly. The doctors can use the pain journals to tailor prescriptions. Initially doctors start pain killer at a low dose. At the next visit the doctor can objectively assess the response to treatment and alter the dose of pain killers accordingly. Side effects of drugs can also be noted. Prescription errors are therefore minimized and patients are not over-treated.

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Clinical medicine by Kumar and Clark

Try distracting yourself

The concept of mind over matter is gaining popularity. The basic principle of biofeedback is to use mindfulness to obtain a certain degree of control over pain. Distracting works the other way around. There is a filtration mechanism in the brain that prioritizes neural messages it receives. Otherwise we will be acutely aware of the sensation our cloths make, sensation of sitting and standing. It would be highly distracting while concentrating on work or play. As kids we didn’t feel an injury when we were hard at play. Surrounding environment blurs out when we concentrate on studies. Distracting oneself forces this filtration mechanism to remove pain sensations as irrelevant.

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Clinical medicine by Kumar and Clark

Evaluate your treatment options

Drug treatment relieves pain more effectively than any other method. Therefore a thorough discussion with your doctor about your pain killers is essential. Side effects, effectiveness and cost of pain killers are important deciding factors. In some conditions surgery may be effective than oral pain killers. In these cases, current pain, post-operative pain and quality of life now and after surgery should be discussed in length before coming to a decision. Radiotherapy relieves pain in some cancers. The cost, side effects and the stage of the disease alters the outcome of such treatment. Chemotherapy as well as radiotherapy may also increase pain.

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Don’t be afraid to share with others

Chronic pain is a debilitating condition. It reduces the quality of life and it keeps you from work and pleasure. Some people may lose their earning power due to chronic pain. Therefore lifestyle changes are an essential part of pain management. Chronic pain is one of the most important causes of depression. On the other hand, having a confiding relationship reduces the risk of depression. Telling someone about your suffering helps. There are pain groups sharing experiences and new pain relief methods. Many new participants benefit a lot from these groups because of new ideas and opportunities these groups provide.