Pain indicates that something is wrong with the body. It can slowly show up over time or it can come on suddenly after an injury. Pain can range from mild to severe, and can come and go or occur on an acute basis. Acute pain comes on all at once and is usually brief, commonly in response to an injury. Acute pain disappears once the underlying cause has been treated. So, if you develop acute pain after a broken arm, it should go away once the arm is treated.

Chronic pain, on the other hand, is long-lasting and returns often. It may result from an injury that did not heal correctly or an illness. Sometimes, no cause can be found. Chronic pain can persist for years. It affects your physical and emotional well-being.

Chronic pain causes more disability than heart disease or cancer, according to experts. How can you best manage chronic pain? Here are a few tips.

Eat the Right Foods

Diet can have a significant effect on your well-being. Inflammation in the body can be reduced through diet, treating the underlying cause of many chronic pain conditions. Research has found that patients that follow a strict Mediterranean or vegan diet have reduced levels of chronic pain. If possible, adopt a diet that includes large amounts of vegetables, olives, and other healthy oils. Foods that cause inflammation include chocolate, high-fat red meat, and processed foods. It is best to stay away from these foods if you suffer from chronic pain.

Yoga

Yoga has long been used to manage pain. This centuries-old practice provides stress-relief and helps to calm the mind. Pain often occurs because of chronic muscle spasms, and practicing the postures of yoga can help you train your muscles how to relax and lengthen, decreasing muscle spasms.

Check Your Hormones

Hormones are chemicals that are produced by your endocrine glands. They work much like messengers in the body. They send signals to the rest of your body to keep it functioning. Hormones control your metabolism, as well as many other important body functions.

Hormones are essential to your body and when released in excessive amounts or at wrong timings can disrupt major body systems. New research indicates that hormones are useful in treating chronic pain. Your physician can talk to you about hormone replacement therapy, which can help regulate your emotions and reduce pain.

Talk to a Professional

Talking to a therapist about your pain may help reduce it, according to the American Psychological Association. They have found that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is effective for chronic pain. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy teaches you how to change your thoughts regarding troubles in your life before they become destructive. It also teaches stress management and coping skills for use during times of high stress.

Additional Ways to Manage Chronic Pain

When lifestyle and diet changes are not enough, you may need to seek additional methods to treat your pain. Always check with a chronic pain specialist to decide which alternatives are best for you. They can help you identify additional ways to manage chronic pain safely.

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The pain from degenerated or slipped discs can bring your daily life to a halt. You may find it difficult or even impossible to bend, lift heavy objects, or sit comfortably. Rather than treat the pain with prescription medications or trying to adjust your life to it, treatment options like disc denervation help with relieving chronic back pain.

What is Disc Denervation?

Disc denervation involves eliminating a nerve’s ability to cause pain. Doctors who specialize in this treatment use radiofrequency to detect what nerves in your back are causing the pain. They then inject a needle to disconnect the nerve.

This procedure has reportedly helped chronic back pain sufferers find relief from months at a time. They no longer have to rely on medications to kill the pain. They are also able to resume their normal range of motion without being compromised by nerve pain.

How is Disc Denervation Performed?

This procedure is done on an outpatient basis and typically only takes an hour to complete. The doctor uses a local anesthetic to deaden the area. People do not feel the injection of the needle or any of the heat or nerve disconnection.

Once the procedure is finished, the doctor then applies a bandage on the affected area. After spending a brief time in recovery, the patient can walk out of the facility and return home to rest.

Who is a Candidate for Disc Denervation?

Many people who have given up hope of ever finding relief from chronic disc pain may be good candidates for disc denervation treatments. Women who have given birth, for example, often develop slipped or degenerated nerves after undergoing epidurals during labor. The epidural needle may have contributed to the disc weakening or slipping out of place.

Further, the weight of carrying a baby can cause discs in a woman’s back to degenerate. Rather than spend the rest of her life with chronic back pain, she may benefit by undergoing nerve denervation.

Likewise, people who have suffered injuries due to falls, lifting heavy objects, or carrying out other tasks may want to consider this treatment option for chronic back pain. They can experience longer lasting relief and also go back to work without being compromised by chronic pain and discomfort.

Finally, people who worry about becoming addicted to painkillers may benefit by going through this operation. Many doctors prescribe powerful medications that help kill the pain of chronic disc degeneration. People who take these medicines, however, may build up a resistance to them and then have to up the amounts that they take to find relief from the pain. Rather than risk becoming addicted to painkillers, sufferers of slipped or degenerated discs may prefer to go through disc denervation.

Before going through this procedure, however, people are encouraged to consult with their primary care doctors to ensure that they are healthy enough to withstand the treatment. If they have conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, or if they are breastfeeding, they may want to wait or choose another treatment for their chronic back pain.

Chronic back pain no longer requires that people take medicines or simply live with the pain. Sufferers can now go through disc denervation that will disconnect the nerves that are causing their back pain.

If you are reading this on any other blog than Comprehensive Pain Management Center or via my RSS Feed, it is stolen content without credit. You can find us  on Twitter via @CompPainMgmt. Come and visit our blog at http://www.compainmc.com/blog/.