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When an individual suffers from an illness or injury that causes pain for a short duration, they are generally pretty uncomfortable. This short duration pain is known as acute pain, usually meaning that it has a known cause that will quickly pass and the pain will go away. For those people who suffer with pain for a long period of time, uncomfortable may hardly describe what they are feeling. This long term pain is known as chronic pain, and it often has no end. That is why it is important to understand what pain management options are available for chronic pain.

Chronic pain is often described as pain that persists for three months or more. It is not always understood, or even believed to exist by some people, but if you experience it you certainly know it is real. The challenge can be that it is not always possible for your doctor to determine the cause of your pain, leaving you the option to treat the symptoms without eliminating the cause.

Before an individual comes to the realization that the pain is long term he might have already tried a number of over-the-counter medications. These could include anything from plain aspirin to pills that contain anti-inflammatory drugs along with a pain reliever. If it appears that the pain is in the muscles, there are many rubs, creams, patches and gels that claim to relax the muscles and relieve the pain. If none of these provide relief, the patient will most likely end up at their doctor’s office.

While your doctor will take a medical history and try to find the cause of your pain, in many cases the cause of chronic pain is never fully identified. It then becomes a matter of finding a treatment that will give you relief from your pain. This can take some time, as everyone reacts differently to pain and to each treatment. Often times, the first thing the doctor will try is giving you a prescription medication. It might take several tries to find a medication that helps, so do not get discouraged.

While use of narcotic drugs to treat chronic pain has been controversial, doctors are realizing that when used appropriately, and often in combination with other drugs, that they can be effective in treating pain without causing addiction. Other families of drugs that are used in pain treatment include antidepressants and anticonvulsants, though they are often used in smaller doses for this purpose.

While taking drugs might be easy, there are other options your doctor might suggest. These require you to commit time and energy into your treatment. Regular exercise is a key component to a healthy lifestyle. This can be even more important for a chronic pain sufferer. Keeping your body moving and flexible can be a big benefit in coping with your pain. Your doctor might also suggest that you see a physical therapist for a course of treatment. Normally lasting only a few weeks, during this time you will be taught exercises that are good for stretching and strengthening the affected areas around your pain. The physical therapist might also use heat or ice on the area of pain, or possibly massage.

The stress of constant pain can begin to take a toll on the mind as well as the body. For this reason, the doctor may suggest seeing a counselor to address the mental health aspects of pain. Through counseling the patient can learn techniques to break the cycle of pain causing stress, which causes more pain, leading to more stress. The counselor may teach the patient to use guided imagery to escape the pain for a period of time. Biofeedback or relaxation skills might also be taught by the counselor.

This is only a brief overview of the options available to you for pain management. Be sure to educate yourself as much as you can about these and other options. If you are persistent and open-minded about the treatment options, you are likely to find some level of relief for your chronic pain.

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