The following article was submitted by Brian Boyd from Eldersplace.org on May 6, 2020.
Whether you’re living with chronic pain or looking for ways to ease everyday aches, it’s good to have simple pain relief strategies in your back pocket. Alternative pain remedies let you alleviate pain whenever and wherever you are so you can reduce discomfort and get back to living. When you need a drug-free way to reduce pain, turn to these alternative pain management strategies.
Stay Active
Exercise is a critical piece of any pain management plan. Exercise improves mobility and in turn, reduces pain when done as a regular practice.
Keep moving with low-impact cardio
Low-impact cardio is an easy way to improve mobility without aggravating pain in the knees and back. Low-impact cardio can be as simple as walking, but mix it up with other types of aerobic exercise like bicycling, swimming, tai chi, and Pilates. On rainy days or when you prefer to exercise indoors, turn to low-impact high-intensity interval training.
Fight hip pain with strengthening exercises
Hip pain can be debilitating, but strengthening exercises help take strain off of achy joints. As Harvard Medical School points out, “wearable ankle weights are helpful for exercises that target the leg and hip muscles.” When doing exercises like leg raises and bird dogs, look for ankle weights with adjustable weights so you can add resistance as your strength increases.
Talk to a physical therapist
Not sure where to start with exercise? A physical therapist can help you develop an exercise plan that not only factors your chronic pain, but fights back against it. While not all health insurance companies cover physical therapy, many do, and some physical therapy practices offer discounts for self-pay customers.
Practice Mindfulness
Many people are surprised to learn that mindfulness practices are effective against pain. While mindfulness can’t erase pain, it can adjust the way you think about it. That’s nothing to brush off considering the link between chronic pain and depression.
Meditate for pain relief
It sounds too good to be true, but clinical trials have shown that mindfulness meditation is an effective source of pain relief. Setting aside a few minutes a day to meditate in a tranquil setting could be just the thing to lift your mood in the face of chronic pain. Find a space that’s distraction-free and start slowly, letting your meditation sessions grow longer with practice.
Tune into your body
The body scan is one of the most effective mindfulness techniques for pain relief. Body scans bring awareness to physical sensations in your body, including pain. However, rather than increasing pain, body scans help you stay present so pain doesn’t rule your life.
Breathe deeply
Don’t have 10 minutes to spare? Breathing exercises offer a quick release for stress and irritability so you can find relief no matter where you are. An easy breathing exercise for pain relief involves inhaling through the nose and out through the mouth, breathing deeply into the belly at a pace of four to five seconds per inhale and exhale.
Talk to a mental health professional
Self-help isn’t the only way to change your state of mind. You can also change your relationship with pain through psychotherapy practices like cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies offers guidance on how to choose a therapist.
There’s no easy solution for pain. So when you live with chronic pain, you need a variety of strategies for alleviating and coping with your discomfort. While these alternative pain remedies may not be a magic bullet for your pain, they’re a few of many strategies to keep in your pain relief toolkit.
Resources and Start Learning More:
- 21 Low-Impact Workouts That Are More Effective Than You Think by Laura Schwecherl and medically reviewed by Daniel Bubnis, MS, NASM-CPT, NASE Level II-CSS, speciality in fitness for Greatist
- Chronic Pain: Treat it With Mindfulness Meditation, Not Opioids by Vernon Williams, MD for U.S. News & Works Reports
- The Best Ankle Weights (2020 Reviews) by Katie Hill for Fitter Living
- Body scan meditation to reduce stress by Headspace Staff
- Breathing Techniques for Natural Pain Relief by Jenny L.F. Andrus, M.D. for Orthopaedic & Spine Center
- How Do I Choose a Therapist? by Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Staff
- How Paying Your Doctor in Cash Could Save You Money by Donna Rosato for Consumer Reports
- Is Physical Therapy Covered by Insurance? by Mile Araujo for The Balance
- Living with Chronic Pain and Depression by Margarita Tartakovsky, MS for PsychCentral
- Wearable weights: How they can help or hurt by Harvard Health Publishing Harvard Medical School Staff
- Photo Credit: Beach morning running health Bali by Man Nizal for Upsplash
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- Learning About Cannabis for Pain
- How to Thrive with Chronic Pain
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- Coping with COVID-19 Lock-Down
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