Living with chronic pain can make you feel helpless and like you are at the mercy of medication. Fortunately, recent studies have shown that, in some cases, a person may be more in control of the pain they feel than previously thought. There are many ways of using the power of the mind to combat pain. For example, positive thinking is a powerful tool in combating physical pain, helping to dull not only the sensation of pain itself but also some of the side effects like depression and lethargy. However, there’s a lot more to positive thinking than just telling yourself that everything will turn out all right. Use some of these tips to boost your ability to manage pain using only the power of your mind.

Think about Something Pleasant

One subset of positive thinking is focusing on pleasant things to distract yourself from pain. By using the power of the mind to combat pain, your pleasant thoughts distract you from the pain felt. For example, some research suggests that fantasizing about a favorite food can dull the affects of pain in many cases. Read more »

Whether you are a member of a sports league or just play for fun with friends, you are still at risk for a sports injury. These types of injuries can be quite tricky to recover from, and some can continue to cause pain long after the injury has ostensibly healed. Here’s what you need to know about preventing and treating a sports injury that crops up while playing sports or exercising.

Types of Injuries

Sports injuries can be broadly divided into two distinct categories: traumatic injuries and repetitive stress injuries. Traumatic injuries include broken bones, contusions, concussions, sprains, and others caused by falling, tackling, or unexpected forces exerted on the body. Repetitive stress injuries are caused by overworking a joint or muscle, such as in the case of tendinosis or runner’s knee.

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According to some estimates, nine out of ten adults experience back pain at some point in their lives, making it one of the most common medical complaints in the world. While chronic back pain may be a sign of a more serious medical condition and should be reported to a doctor, there are many all natural remedies for back pain.

Natural Remedies for Back Pain

Exercise

Regular exercise has a number of different benefits when dealing with back pain. Stretching helps loosen tense back muscles and ligaments, while building strength gives you a straighter poster and keeps back problems from compounding. Furthermore, the endorphins released when you exercise act as a natural pain killer so you may find that you feel better immediately after exercising.

Temperature Therapy

Alternating hot and cold compresses is an easy way to treat back pain. First apply a cold pack to the affected area to reduce inflammation and numb the pain. After about ten minutes, switch to a hot pack. Heat stimulates blood flow and brings healing nutrients to the affected area, and also soothes pain in the long run. You should alternate hot and cold several times to achieve the best possible results. Read more »

Does your back pain make you feel uncomfortable, frustrated, and miserable? Each time the pain starts to flare-up, the one thing that you may want to do is just roll into a ball on your bed in hopes that it will eventually go away. While getting rest is a good idea for back pain, there are a lot of other tips that you can use for relieving back pain.

One thing you should start to do when relieving back pain is get into a routine. Before heading to bed, you may want to get into a hot shower, allowing the steam from the water to release some of the tension you may have in your back. After a soothing shower, you can apply some body lotion to your back and rest on a heating pad, which may also offer extra relief. Anything that is warm can provide some instant relief when applied directly to your back.

Once you have applied heat to your back, you should rest on your bed instead of on a chair. As someone who suffers from back pain, it is not a good idea to sleep on your back. The pressure that it can cause may only increase the pain that you feel regularly, which is why it is a better choice to sleep on your side instead. You will be surprised at just how much pain it is possible to relieve by getting into a routine of taking care of your back before you head to bed.

Along with your nighttime routine, you can manage your back pain during the day with assorted exercises. You can carefully stretch your back and then start a simple and short workout routine, such as yoga stances. If you follow these different back pain tips, the discomfort that you feel may go from being unbearable to tolerable. While these tips may not cure back pain completely, they can help you with managing and relieving back pain.

By Dr. James  Lin
If you are reading this on any other blog than Comprehensive Pain Management Center or via my RSS Feed, it is stolen content without credit.
You can find me on Twitter via @DrJamesTLin
Come and visit our blog at http://www.compainmc.com/blog/

Is chronic pain something that you have had to deal with for many years? If so, you may feel like you are missing out on doing some of the things you enjoy. Some of the physical activities that you were interested in may now seem impossible because the pain may be too much for you to handle. Any medication that you have taken for the pain may only offer temporary relief. The medication may even have caused unwanted side effects too. If you are tired of living this way, there are chronic pain management options you can try.

Learning to manage your pain is important if you want to be able to get through each day without experiencing constant discomfort. One of the first ways you can start managing your pain is through exercise. Although exercising may make you feel uncomfortable when you first get started, especially if you have not performed many physical activities over the past few months, moving your body around gently can provide some relief for the pain you are feeling. It is also a good idea to give aquatic therapy a try, which would allow you to move your body freely in a heated swimming pool to ease your muscles and reduce the pain.  Read more »

If you have chronic pain, you may feel limited to what you can do. There are things that you may have done before, such as dancing and physical activities that seem impossible for you to do right now because you are in so much pain. While pain is not something anyone wants to have, there are certain techniques that you can use to make it more manageable so that you are able to do the things you love and enjoy. All you need to do is stay positive and give these techniques a try instead of assuming that they will not work or help at all.

Keeping an open mind and having the willingness to try different things can make such a significant difference. In the past, you may have only relied on painkillers prescribed by a physician to get relief. Did you know that there are so many other things that you can do? While at home, you can consider using a heating pad, taking a hot shower, and even having a significant other or family member give you a massage to make you feel more comfortable. You may also want to use a full-body pillow in bed so that you can sleep comfortably. Make sure to avoid sleeping on your back and on furniture, such as chairs and couches that are not made for sleeping. By choosing to stay positive and try these different techniques, you will notice that the pain may subside greatly. Read more »

The back pain that you are experiencing is something that may have started many years ago, gradually getting worse as the years have passed. Having dealt it with for such a while, you may have wondered if you will ever be able to eliminate the discomfort that you feel most of the time. Luckily, there are several back pain tips that you can follow to get the relief you need. You may not have even known some of these tips exist.

Trying acupuncture is one of the tips you can follow. It is an alternative to some traditional types of treatment, such as prescribed medication. During an acupuncture session, you would lie on your stomach on a flat yet comfortable table. The physician would carefully place acupuncture needles, which are very thin, into pressure points on your back. You will likely feel rested and comfortable during this process. When the session is complete, you may feel some serious relief from the back pain you had beforehand. Acupuncture is just one of many back pain tips. Read more »

If you are suffering from chronic back pain, you may wonder whether there are any alternatives to treating the pain you have, especially if you are tired of having to depend on medication for the relief you need. When looking for a more natural approach, pain management in Ventura County is worth a try. Pain management does not just help you identify the different reasons why you are experiencing the pain, but will also help you figure out which coping techniques work best for your body when overcoming chronic pain.

The exact reason that you suffer from back pain may vary from someone else who also has chronic back pain. You could have been in an accident many years ago, causing you to feel pain in your back that comes and goes, but never seems to stay away for good. Each time you start to experience the pain, you may use prescription medication to treat it, only to feel tired and worn out after taking it. However, with pain management in Ventura County, you can find out about other methods, such as acupuncture, chiropractic treatments, and nerve injections. These are just a few of the treatments that are available. Read more »

Individuals who suffer from chronic pain can experience great personal struggles in finding pain management treatment that works. However, pain management providers who are savvy with how chronic pain affects the quality of life of the average sufferer know that treatment that is to be effective requires more than just a prescription. In reality, dealing with chronic pain requires a comprehensive approach that takes unique factors into account.

Part of what makes chronic pain so different from other conditions is its ability to remain unseen. Many individuals can attest to the lack of understanding and support from friends and family members, but what is more surprising is that many experience the same lack of support from health care providers. People with chronic pain often have to test out several doctors before they find one with the tools to truly help them. Read more »