Chronic Pain Relief Methods

There is no universal alleviation solution for chronic pain. The current core logic that has been proven effective in clinical and practical fields is a combination of "daily behavior adjustment + low-invasive intervention + personalized medical plan". The specific choice needs to be determined based on the type of pain, attack cycle and personal tolerance. There is no one method that is suitable for all people.

I don’t say this casually. I have been working on pain intervention for more than 6 years, and I have seen too many people fall into the pitfalls: either they carry the pain hard enough to affect their sleep and mood, or they use one method desperately, and in the end, the small pain turns into a long-term problem. I met a 34-year-old product manager a while ago. He had neck and shoulder pain for 3 years. He had a blind man massage him every day until his shoulders and back were covered with bruises. However, the pain did not decrease much, and local muscle fiber damage was caused by the massage. Later, he adjusted the height of the monitor at his workstation and followed up every week. I did shoulder and back strength training with a rehabilitation specialist twice. When the pain was severe, I took low-dose non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for three days as directed by the doctor. In less than two months, the pain went from being so painful every day that I couldn't concentrate, to being sore for more than ten minutes every week.

The first thing many people think of when pain begins is to apply a compress, but whether to use cold or heat is actually quite controversial. Orthopedics of traditional Chinese medicine often say that hot compresses can activate blood circulation and dispel cold. Sports rehabilitation circles also say that cold compresses will not aggravate edema in the acute phase. In fact, both statements are correct. It depends on the state of your pain: if the painful area feels hot and a little swollen, or if the pain suddenly worsens just after exercise, then give priority to cold compresses for 10 to 15 minutes each time. Do not put ice directly on the skin, put a towel on it to prevent frostbite. ； If the pain is stiff and sore, which will be aggravated in cold weather, then hot compresses will be useful. Hot water bottles, baby warmers, and infrared lamps will all work. Do not apply it for too long, as it may cause local inflammation for more than 20 minutes. I once met an aunt who suffered from knee pain. I heard others say that hot compress is good and she applied it for 40 minutes every day. As a result, her knee was so swollen that she could not bend it. Later, she changed it to applying ice pack for 10 minutes every time she had pain. The swelling subsided in three days.

When it comes to relieving chronic pain, exercise is a hotly debated topic. Some people say that swimming is the best pain-free exercise, some say that walking is enough, and some say that core training is necessary to cure the problem. In fact, there is really no need to hold on to the "optimal solution". For example, for people with degenerative knee joint pain, swimming does put less pressure on the joints. However, if you are afraid of water, or if you stroke incorrectly and pull the shoulder area, it will cause new injuries. I know an aunt in her 50s who suffered from knee pain for two years. She can’t swim and doesn’t want to learn. She wears cushioned sneakers and walks slowly for 20 minutes every day after meals. When walking, she deliberately puts her weight on her heels so as not to stress her knees first. After half a year, she went for a follow-up examination. Most of the joint effusion was gone, and the pain was reduced by 70%. On the contrary, there was a young man who practiced plank support every day in order to cure his back pain. He held it for 5 minutes at a time. In the end, the lumbar protrusion became more serious. After all, the core of exercise is to find something that you can persist in and that will not aggravate the pain after doing it. It is not to copy other people's homework.

If you still don't feel better after a month or two of self-adjustment, don't take it any further and see a doctor in time. Many people are afraid of taking painkillers because they think they will become addictive. In fact, the NSAIDs that are commonly used today have very little chance of becoming addicted as long as they are taken according to the doctor's instructions. Instead, they endure the pain, suffer from poor sleep, and feel anxious, which will make the pain perception pathways of the brain more sensitive. A pain that is originally only 3 points can be amplified to 6 points, but it becomes a vicious cycle. As for interventions such as acupuncture and acupotomy, there is a lot of controversy now. Some studies in Western medicine believe that the effect is about the same as placebo. However, there is a large amount of clinical data in traditional Chinese medicine that proves that it is effective for myofascial chronic pain. Among my own patients, a teacher with shoulder and neck pain was relieved for almost a week after one acupuncture treatment. There are also people who feel nothing at all after five or six acupuncture treatments. In fact, there is no need to worry about whether it is an IQ tax. If it doesn't work after trying it two or three times, change the method. If it works, continue doing it. There is no need to argue about right and wrong.

Oh, by the way, there is another point that many people miss, which is the impact of emotion and sleep on pain. When chronic pain lasts for more than 3 months, it is no longer just a local problem. The pain perception circuit of the brain will change. The more anxious you are and how poorly you sleep, the more obvious the pain will be. There was a girl who had been suffering from migraines for 10 years. She took more and more painkillers, sometimes four or five times a week. Later, she adjusted her schedule with the sleep department and did mindful breathing for 10 minutes before going to bed every day. She stopped thinking about "will I have a headache today" when lying down. After only one month, the dosage of her painkillers was reduced by half, and the frequency of attacks dropped to once every half month.

Having been in this business for so long, the most common question I get asked is "Is there any method that works well immediately?" To be honest, there really isn't. Chronic pain is essentially a long-term alarm sent by your body. It is not a matter of pressing the alarm in a certain way. You have to slowly understand the boundaries of your body: what actions will cause pain after doing it, what things will make you feel comfortable after doing it, and slowly adjust your living habits. It is much more reliable than looking for some magical folk remedies. After all, in the final analysis, the thing that stays with you the longest is your own body, right?