1. Experiment With Physical Treatments
Chronic pain comes with physical and emotional distress that can be overwhelming--and exhausting. When you meet with your physician, ask about treatments that can address your physiological symptoms. Physical therapy, nerve blocks and spinal cord stimulation are treatment modalities that offer patients pain relief and give them the ability to increase their activity levels. Physical therapy is the treatment of muscles, nerves and connective tissue through a variety of exercise and manual techniques. In addition to therapeutic stretching and strengthening, your therapist may use deep-tissue massage, ultrasound and heat or ice packs to treat acute pain and encourage your body to heal itself.
Nerve blocks are used most successfully for neuropathic pain that is caused by damage to the nerve endings. When you have a therapeutic block, your doctor injects a numbing anesthetic solution into the nerve bundles responsible for your pain. If the block is effective, the medication may keep your pain at bay for hours, days or even weeks. You may need to schedule multiple nerve block procedures over several months, since the anesthetic eventually wears off and needs to be reintroduced.
Also used to address neuropathic pain, a spinal cord stimulator is implanted by your neurologist and attached to a series of small electrodes that are placed subcutaneously near the spine. You can control the frequency and voltage of the stimulation, which attempts to interfere with your body's pain signals before they're recognized by your brain. You may find that a spine stimulator takes the edge off your pain or leaves you nearly pain free, depending on the source and severity of your pain condition. The implantation procedure is generally painless and usually doesn't require an overnight hospital stay.
2. Talk to Your Doctor About the Pain Relief Ladder
If you have a severe chronic pain condition, your doctors will probably combine physical treatment options with drug therapy. Most doctors use a three-step ladder for medication recommendations. The first step of this ladder is over-the-counter treatment. Your physician will have you experiment with a number of mild pain relievers and anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin and naproxen sodium. Some people get moderate relief from these non-steroidal medications, while others need to progress to the second step.
If your pain persists and these first-line treatments are ineffective, ask your doctor about prescribing a low-level opiate like tramadol, codeine or dihydrocodeine. These analgesics are effective for many pain conditions, but they can cause side effects like nausea, drowsiness, sluggishness, constipation and dry mouth. The third step on the pain relief ladder is made up of strong opiodes like fentanyl, morphine and oxycodone. These drugs are controlled substances, and most states require that you hand-carry the prescriptions to the pharmacy rather than calling or faxing them. Remember, with stronger medications come stronger side effects, so follow the instructions carefully and report complications to your doctor right away.
3. Investigate Alternative Treatments
Alternative modalities like relaxation, meditation and acupuncture can complement your drug therapy and may even reduce the amount of medication you have to take. Mind-body therapies like deep breathing, relaxation and prayer can help you train your brain to overcome pain signals, release stress and calm your body. Many Chinese practitioners believe that the body can be healed through balancing the energy that flows through our meridians (nerve channels), so they suggest using acupuncture to address these imbalances. Your acupuncturist will insert a series of tiny, hairlike needles into your skin at various nerve points, encouraging your body to release pain-relieving chemicals and stimulate neuropathic healing.
