Modern pain therapy techniques

Modern pain therapy techniques

Pain is a massive problem in our society. In fact, it is estimated that about a third of the population experiences pain at any given time. Pain of any kind is the most common reason for medical consultation. It is an important symptom in many diseases, significantly affecting quality of life and general functioning.

Management is therefore an extremely important part of healthcare, as people who are forced to continue living with extreme pain often become depressed and experience poor treatment outcomes.

Some types of pain are still not truly understood, with up to a third of cases having unknown origins.

Here are some of the things we know about pain:

*It is constant for about 20% of people.

* Back pain is the most common pain.

* Most chronic patients have had pain for at least 3 years.

* As would be expected, the incidence increases with age.

* Women report suffering more often than men.

* Only 70% of those affected seek professional help.

Pain therapy

Modern management programs should be multidisciplinary, combining the contributions of physicians, acupuncturists, physical therapists, chiropractors, clinical psychologists, and occupational therapists, among others.

1. Narcotics are often prescribed for severe pain, but narcotics carry the potential for side effects and addiction. Therefore, patients and caregivers must balance pain levels against these risks in the management process.

2. Numerous studies have shown that certain complementary therapies are effective in treatment.

3. Massage therapy can accelerate pain relief, relieve stiff sore muscles, and reduce inflammation and swelling.

4. Psychological pain therapy teaches people to deal with their condition. Research shows that realistic, helpful thoughts are an important part of management.

5. Natural pain relief is a sought-after alternative to drugs and medicines based on chemicals and other synthetic medications. Herbs have been used for pain relief for centuries, but many have not been widely studied. Some allergic reactions may occur in some patients who use natural relief. However, these can be easily controlled or prevented by performing a skin test before applying natural pain relief.

6. One of the pain treatment modalities is trigger point injections and nerve blocks using long-acting anesthetics and small doses of steroids.

7. NSAID medications not only relieve pain but also reduce fever and inflammation. However, there are real disadvantages associated with long-term use of these medications.

8. Aspirins, paracetamol, ibuprofen are other common remedies for acute pain relief.

9. Morphine is the main active ingredient in opium and is a very effective painkiller. Morphine acts directly on the central nervous system and is commonly used as a medication for acute and severe pain caused by surgery or major trauma. Morphine is also used as a pain reliever for moderate and severe chronic pain caused, for example, by cancer.

10. TENS machines provide short-term relief for many people. These machines are quite inconvenient, but at least they have no side effects.

11. Finally, there is a new modality that has just been launched, namely the Powerstrip pain patch, which combines body heat-activated far-infrared thermal technology with quantum energy, red ginseng and marine phytoplanktons.

Inspired by Dick Aronson