Consider that at some point in our lives we will be I pain whether by falling, work place injuries, an accident while driving or perhaps from a recurring repetitive type injury. Some injuries will require medical attention especially serious injuries that may have occurred while working, driving or even an accident at home. For any serious injury or pain one should consult a medical professional for guidance. For other injuries which may not be so serious there can be a variety of ways that one can approach and try themselves in order to relieve the pain. I do however recommend that one should consult a medical professional just to be sure whether it is your family doctor or therapist.
While there may be a host of ways to get out of pain some of the best come about from common sense awareness and good healthy habits. For the purpose of this article there are some very good ways to getting yourself out of pain and some may apply while others may not, it just depends on what has caused the pain in the first place. As well I am only considering injuries or conditions that are muskulo-skeletal.
Some ways to get out of pain are:
Some of the above ways are good ways in treating and getting out of pain. Besides the more specific such as physiotherapy, massage and acupuncture the other ways also can be very beneficial. So how does the ways noted above help us getting out of pain?
Rest is often an overlooked but important way of getting our bodies out of pain. A significant number of injuries that occur are often repetitive strain type injuries (which is essentially an overwork or overuse type injury). With rest we give our bodies time to heal and often can be very helpful in certain types of injuries. Some people have a tendency to try to work through their pain so consider resting so that the injury or area of pain doesn’t hurt and if you’re an active type than avoid overtraining or managing the load. Try to get good sleep and allow for recovery downtime. Note that too much rest is not always going to be better and if the pain still is there then see a health practitioner.
General Health from Proper diet, sleep and stress reduction.
Preparing your own meals with ingredients you know and choose can be time consuming. But you are what you eat and I would recommend proper diet as something we should all strive to do. Sleep is a great way for your body to heal itself and thus reduce or eliminate pain. Reducing stress is another good way of helping to ease the load on our bodies and thus reduce pain over time.
Strength training is likely one of the items no one would think of when it comes to getting out of pain. In many cases I would definitely not recommend this. But for certain injuries strengthening the muscles of an injured joint for example will lead to quicker recovery and more stability in the joint which will help to relieve pain. If you can strengthen the area without additional pain then consider continuing. If you notice additional pain then stop and have a health practitioner evaluate the pain. Ideally if this is the route you would like to go with then see a physical therapist.
Mobility and increasing range of motion are important factors in physiotherapy in treating many different injuries. Certain stretches can cause muscle relaxation and thus reduced muscle spasm and pain. In physiotherapy increasing range of motion following an injury is vital in restoring the potential loss of mobility. However increasing range of motion should be managed without aggravating the injury.
Manual Therapy such as massage therapy can provide effective treatment to reduce pain and inflammation as well as muscle spasms. In many types of injuries or pain conditions muscle tightness can directly lead to pain in local areas as well as referring pain such as sciatica. Manual therapy is not only effective when treating muscle spasms and referring pain but it also feels good.
Physiotherapy/Acupuncture treatment is highly effective in reducing pain and inflammation and can speed up the healing process. Physiotherapy can use modalities such as IFC or Shockwave to treat injuries and pain while Acupuncture uses thin needles in selected points to achieve similar results. Both are effective in treating pain but in different ways. Physiotherapy also is very effective at increasing range of motion as well as strengthening and stretching.
Mind and Body Awareness can also be effective in managing and treating chronic pain. Some methods such as meditation, yoga, some forms of Martial arts can help manage pain but will rarely cure pain. They are good for pain management and something one can add to other ways of getting out of pain.
Please note that while most ways listed above can be effective at managing and treating pain, we at Dynamic Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Clinic Inc. are trained health professionals in Physiotherapy, Massage Therapy & Acupuncture. Our staff is well trained in providing strength training, improving mobility and range of motion as well as Manual Therapy. For more information please contact us at 905-273-5433 or at www.dynamicphysiotherapy.ca
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