Your body sends out pain signals when something is wrong. For example, you may experience pain when you overexert your muscles, have an illness or get a paper cut. Once the injury or illness passes, your body will stop sending out pain signals. With chronic pain, your body keeps sending pain signals even after your illness or injury has healed.
What conditions can result in chronic pain?
Injuries and health conditions can lead to chronic pain. In addition to this, chronic pain can have no obvious cause. Let's take a look at some of the most common causes of chronic pain.
• Arthritis
• Back Issues
• Fibromyalgia
• Headaches
• Infections
• Injuries
• Migraines
• Nerve Damage
• Surgeries
Chronic pain symptoms
Chronic pain symptoms can vary greatly. The pain can be continuous or it can come and go. Chronic pain sufferers often experience a variety of symptoms, including:
• Achiness
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Burning Sensation
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Low Energy
• Mood Swings
• No Appetite
• Shooting Pain
• Sleep Difficulties
• Soreness
• Squeezing Pain
• Stiffness
• Stinging Pain
• Throbbing Pain
• Weakness
Treatment options for pain management
When you experience chronic pain, it can negatively impact all aspects of your life. Your relationship with others can suffer, your job performance can dwindle and you could end up making bad choices like smoking, drinking too much alcohol or turning to illegal drugs. Luckily, a functional medicine physician can offer numerous treatment options when it comes to chronic pain.
• Acupuncture - Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to relieve pain. It uses fine needles which are applied to the skin at specific locations. As the needles are applied, the body releases endorphins which can help relieve pain.Studies have shown that acupuncture can relieve numerous causes of pain, including injuries, fibromyalgia and arthritis. Medscape reports that an analysis of approximately 18,000 patients found that acupuncture relieved chronic pain better than non-acupuncture and sham acupuncture treatments when treating lower back pain, neck pain, chronic headache and osteoarthritis of the knee.
• Chiropractic therapy – Chiropractic therapy uses a variety of pain management techniques to ease chronic pain. These non-surgical methods include spinal manipulation, hot and cold therapy, low level laser therapy and gentle exercises to relieve pain, muscle tension and inflammation associated with chronic pain. The American Chiropractic Association reports that several studies have shown that chiropractic therapy is a safe, cost-effective and clinically effective treatment to help relieve chronic pain. The drug-free, whole-body approach can reduce the odds of surgery by almost 43 percent.
• Relaxation techniques – When you suffer from chronic pain, you can become stressed out which can further exacerbate your pain levels. Practicing relaxation techniques that include deep breathing exercises, yoga, Tai chi and meditation can help to relax the body and the mind. In addition to relieving stress, these techniques help to increase the production of serotonin and other neurotransmitters while decreasing the body's production of stress hormones. Stress hormones can increase inflammation throughout the body, which can further increase the frequency and pain.
• Healing support – Many people do not realize that they can alleviate chronic pain through supplementation. A healing support supplement provides the body with nutrients that increase the body's innate ability to heal itself.
Supplements that contain vitamins, minerals and amino acids help to reduce systemic inflammation, which can increase the frequency and intensity of your pain. In addition to this, a healing supplement will contain antioxidants to rid the body of free radicals and promote the healing of damaged tissues in the body.
• Physical therapy – Physical therapy can help you manage your chronic pain through evidence-based treatments. Physical therapy uses gentle exercises, massage therapy, heat therapy and ultrasound therapy to relieve muscle tension. Physical therapists look for areas of stiffness or weakness which can be adding stress to your already painful areas. Once those areas are found, the physical therapist may use a combination of stretching exercises, strengthening exercises, low-impact aerobics and pain relief exercises.
Chronic pain is characterized by pain that lasts for more than twelve weeks. It continues to occur after an injury heals. The body continues sending pain signals that can last for weeks, months or even years. It can reduce mobility, cause relationship problems, negatively impact job performance and even cause other illnesses. Because of this, it is essential that you get your pain under control. Acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, relaxation techniques, healing support supplements and physical therapy can help to get to the root of the issues and ease your chronic pain.