Chronic pain is pain that continues for months and sometimes years after an injury. It is common to experience pain after an injury. But normally that pain stops once the injury heals. Doctors diagnose pain that continues for more than 12 weeks as chronic pain.

In this blog post, we discuss some useful chronic pain management techniques. We also explore the types of chronic pain treatments which are available at a pain management clinic.

Managing chronic pain

Traditionally people were told to rest when they experience persistent periods of pain. But we now know that bed rest can actually make chronic pain worse.

Being inactive can make your bones and muscles weaker and more stiff. This can increase your pain rather than reducing it. Instead, try gentle exercise to build your strength and flexibility.

Find something that you enjoy doing like swimming, yoga, walking or cycling. It is also a good idea to stretch to increase your flexibility.

Aim to do some kind of exercise every day. Little and often is the most therapeutic approach. Don’t push yourself too hard, listen to your body. But try to do some form of movement every day, even when you are in pain.

When you do gentle exercise every day, you may find that this starts to reduce the pain you are experiencing.

Deep breathing exercises and meditation are also useful chronic pain management methods. These techniques reduce tension and relieve stress, which can in turn reduce pain. Here’s a guided meditation you can try at home.

Joining a support group can also help you with your chronic pain management. Here’s a useful list of chronic pain management support groups.

Chronic pain treatments

If you are having trouble managing your chronic pain, pain management clinics offer a number of treatments to help. Let’s explore each in turn:

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a complementary or alternative therapy that many people find effective as a chronic pain management treatment.

A trained practitioner inserts fine acupuncture needles into the areas you are experiencing pain. This can help to remove pain and tension by gently stimulating the nerves in the affected area.

TENS

TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) is a type of chronic pain treatment that involves the use of a mild electrical current.

The doctor connects a small battery operated device to your body, using sticky pads. Small electrical impulses are delivered to the body part by the machine. This can reduce the pain signals which travel to the brain from the spinal cord.

In this way, TENS can relieve pain and tension.

Pain injections

There are a number of different types of pain injections that can help you manage chronic pain. For example, corticosteroid injections which reduce inflammation and in turn, relieve pain.

Learn more about the different types of pain injections that Ravenscroft Health offers including ultrasound-guided epidural injections for back pain.

Wellbeing treatments

Chronic pain can affect your emotional wellbeing as well as causing you physical pain. Modern pain management clinics take a whole-person approach to your treatment.

As well as physical treatments you may be taught relaxation techniques. Or offered cognitive behavioural therapy to help you cope better with your condition.

Find out more about Ravenscroft Health’s pain management clinic.

See a pain management specialist

If you need support managing chronic pain, we can help. Our pain management specialists will design a bespoke chronic pain treatment programme based on your individual needs.

Take the first step to becoming pain-free. Book a private consultation today.

Did you know Ravenscroft Health also now offers a range of private GP services? Check out our private GP London page to learn more.