3 Strategies for Managing Pain

Pain is an invisible illness. It is almost impossible to tell if someone is managing a chronic pain condition and pain affects everyone differently.

For people with or without pain, it is import to understand what causes pain and the different types of pain.
 

What causes pain? 

There are three primary types of pain. The first is nociceptive pain, which is caused by the activation of very small sensory nerve fibres anywhere in the body. These nerve fibres send messages to the brain, which are interpreted as pain. This type of pain is most commonly caused by damage to a part of the body. For example cuts, burns, sprains or bruises all cause this type of pain.

The second is neuropathic pain, which is caused by damage to nerves.  This is the type of pain that people with diabetes experiences, but it can also be the result of amputations or the result of damage to the body that results in nerve damage.

The third is chronic back or neck pain. This pain may be the result of spinal cord issues such as compression, disc problems, complications from surgery or whiplash. Symptoms of chronic back pain can be felt in the arms or legs depending on where along the spine the problem originates.

What are my options?

1. Symptom Management
This is not a cure, but it does provide temporary relief from the painful symptoms. Symptom management can range from topical creams to medicated ointments to drug therapy. It is important to know that different drugs work differently, so sometimes a prescription might not be effective and a different drug will need to be prescribed.

2. Physical Therapy
This is especially effective for nociceptive pain and chronic back or neck pain. A physiotherapist will be able to diagnose the cause of pain and use a different treatment option to address the cause of pain.

3. Nutrition Therapy
Using nutrition therapy is important for managing all types of pain. For any type of nerve damage, it is important to the body repair nerve damage – and Frontline Neuropathy has been shown to support nerve regeneration.

Learn the 5 types of neuropathy and the symptoms HERE.