pain management

Pain is experienced by everyone at some point in their lives. It is the human body's way of telling you something is wrong. Pain is a very individual experience and depends on one's own tolerance to pain. The levels of pain can range from mild to extreme.

The focus of this article will be on chronic pain and how to find relief.

Types Of Pain

There are two basic types of pain, they are acute and chronic.

Acute pain is the sudden onset of pain. This type of pain is usually a sharp pain and an indication that something is wrong. Acute pain is associated with the body's response to disease, broken bones, burns, cuts, sprains/ strains of ligaments and muscles, and other various injuries. Mild acute pain can last a few moments, while extreme acute pain may last for weeks. Acute pain will disappear once the symptoms have been treated and healed. If acute pain is left untreated, it can lead to chronic pain.

·	Chronic pain is persistent. It remains regardless of the fact that the original injury has healed. The nervous system retains these pain signals and they can last indefinitely if left untreated. Chronic pain can also be the result of serious illness or disease.

Effects Of Chronic Pain

Chronic pain has many effects on the body; both physical and mental. The physical effects typically have symptoms like: muscle tension, lack of joint mobility, loss of or changes in appetite.

The mental effects of chronic pain symptoms include: depression, anxiety, anger (why me?), and the fear of re-injury. This fear may limit a persons willingness to return to work if the original injury was work related. It may also limit the individuals leisure activities if the original injury occurred during such an event.

Diagnosing Chronic Pain

If you believe you are suffering from chronic pain you should consult with your family physician to have the pain properly diagnosed. This will ensure there are no underlying problems that if left untreated could result in a more serious condition.

Chronic Pain Relief

There are many forms of relief for chronic pain. Every individual can achieve different results with each type of treatment. Relief from chronic pain depends on individual beliefs, what they're accustomed to, and how willing they are to take an active part in managing their pain. Relief from chronic pain can be achieved from (but not limited to):

·	Massage Therapy: The many benefits of massage can bring lasting relief from chronic pain. Massage will help with muscle tension and joint mobility. Massage can reduce stress, help with depression and anxiety.

·	Reflexology: Is a form of acupressure. Reflexology can help chronic pain resulting from surgery, stress, and headaches. It also helps relieve some of the unpleasant side-effects of cancer treatment.

·	Stress Management: Managing ones stress can be an intensive treatment in itself. A good stress management program can be found through your doctor. Massage therapy should be a part of your stress management program.

·	Diet and Exercise: These go hand in hand. Chronic pain can be a result of obesity. With proper diet and exercise you can achieve lasting relief from chronic pain.

·	Drug Therapy: Prescription and non-prescription drugs are a form of relief from chronic pain. These can have lasting side-effects because they are not natural. Sometimes the side-effects of using these drugs can be worse than living with the chronic pain.

·	Physical Therapy: Physical therapists teach patients self-management skills according to the American Physical Therapy Association.

·	Acupuncture: Has been around for thousands of years. Its origins are in Asia. Western medicine believes that acupuncture facilitates the release of endorphins. These are the body's natural pain killers. Massage therapy and Reflexology also release these same endorphins.