4 Therapies to Avoid Physical Pain

For many people, pain can linger for weeks or even months, causing needless suffering and interfering with quality of life. If your pain has overstayed its welcome, you should know that you have more treatment options today than ever before. Here, we've listed four therapies to control and reduce your pain that don't require an invasive procedure — or even taking a pill.

1. Exercise:

Although resting for short periods can alleviate pain, too much rest may actually increase pain and put you at greater risk of injury when you again attempt movement. Research has shown that regular exercise can diminish pain in the long term by improving muscle tone, strength, and flexibility. Exercise may also cause a release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers. Some exercises are easier for certain chronic pain sufferers to perform than others; try swimming, biking, walking, rowing, and yoga.

2. Hot and cold therapy:

The simple application of ice is great for any pain associated with swelling and inflammation. While it may not cure chronic pain, it is an ideal, simple treatment for any inflammation or swelling that may arise due to other techniques and exercises. Heat is a great treatment for injuries or pain related to cramps, muscle tightness or spasms.

It is a good technique to use heat after you have problems with another form of exercise technique. These two tried-and-true methods are still the cornerstone of relieving pain for certain kinds of injuries. If a homemade hot or cold pack doesn't do the trick, try asking a physical therapist or chiropractor for their versions of these treatments, which can penetrate deeper into the muscle and tissue.

3. Osteopathy:

Osteopathic manipulative therapy is a drug-free medical approach which uses touch-based massage, manipulation of soft tissue and joints, and spine mobilization procedures, to diagnose and treat pain related conditions. Practitioners use a structured evaluation to identify dysfunction relating to the skull, spine, pelvis and abdomen, as well as upper and lower limbs, and target treatment.

Osteopathy in UK has already been found to be effective for several types of muscoskeletal pain. In addition, it has been proven to be more effective than the standard primary care options – such as exercise and painkillers – at improving quality of life for those with persistent physical pain.

4. Mind-body therapy:

This includes meditation, mindfulness, and breathing exercises (among many others), help you restore a sense of control over your body and turn down the "fight or flight" response, which can worsen chronic muscle tension and pain. Yoga and tai chi practices incorporate breath control, meditation, and gentle movements to stretch and strengthen muscles. Many studies have shown that they can help people manage pain caused by a host of conditions, from headaches to arthritis to lingering injuries.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which can teach you how to manage thoughts and feelings and your body's physical response, can effectively manage physical pain. Biofeedback is another method that teaches you how to control your body's reactions to pain, while hypnosis allows deep relaxation to help with pain management.

About This Author

Bradley Cameron I am a leading expert content writer in health Joined: January 24th, 2018