3 Treatments to Relieve Pain without Medication

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that in 2021, about one in five American adults had chronic pain. If you live with chronic pain, you may be looking for options to manage it that don’t involve medications due to your health history, the risk of addiction, other medications you take, or many other reasons.

The providers at Orthocenter, with locations in Red Bank, Morganville, Holmdel, and now Eatontown, New Jersey, want to help you live an active, fulfilling life. Whether you have an acute injury or you’re dealing with a chronic problem, pain management may be a vital element in a healthy lifestyle. In this post we consider three ways you can live with less pain. 

1. Make lifestyle changes

What you do on a day-to-day basis can play a big role in your level of pain. For example, your diet can increase or decrease the level of inflammation you experience, which may affect pain, especially if you have a condition like arthritis. 

Exercise can also be crucial in managing pain, even though it may seem counter-intuitive. If your knee hurts, you may think walking is only going to make it worse. However, in many instances, exercise can improve pain. 

Managing stress is another element of reducing your pain. Stress is unavoidable, but learning to manage how it affects you can be a key part of living with less pain. You may want to investigate mediation, breathing exercises, yoga, tai chi, talking to a therapist, or even something as simple as scheduling time to pursue a hobby you enjoy.

Nutrition, exercise, and stress are only three areas you can address that can have a big impact on your daily pain. Others, like sleep quality, can make a difference as well. 

2. Consider alternative therapies

We offer something called radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to help patients who are managing chronic pain, and often people haven’t heard of this treatment. RFA involves the use of an electric current to create a scar on your nerve to block pain signals.

There are also all sorts of therapies and modalities that can be employed to help ease pain, and many of them aren’t common knowledge. Talking to a highly trained medical professional with expertise in pain management is an important step in identifying the kinds of drug-free treatments that may work for you. 

A wide variety of medical conditions can lead to chronic pain from arthritis to peripheral neuropathy, not to mention old injuries that never quite heal. The best approach to pain management depends at least in part on why you’re experiencing pain. 

3. Physical therapy and rehabilitation

Sometimes managing pain comes down to learning how to live with it. You may need to perform a short series of exercises each day, or to learn some stretches that will keep you mobile. 

Physical therapy and rehabilitation can help you regain strength and mobility, or give you the tools you need to protect degrading joints, or a whole host of other possibilities for pain management. 

Get help

When it comes to learning how to manage your pain without medication, one of the best things you can do is talk to a medical professional you trust. Getting guidance on what kinds of foods to eat and what to avoid, the types of exercise that are safe for you, and information regarding alternative therapies is crucial. The experts at all four locations of Orthocenter are happy to answer your questions and provide information and advice tailored to your specific situation.

Schedule your appointment today.