Pain is a massive problem in our society, in fact it is estimated that at any given time, around a third of the population suffers from pain. Pain of any kind is the most common reason for medical consultation. It is a leading symptom in many medical conditions, significantly interfering with quality of life and general functioning.

Therefore, management is an extremely important part of health care because people who are forced to continue living with extreme pain often become depressed and have poor treatment outcomes.

Some types of pain are still not really understood and up to a third of cases have unknown origins.

Here are some of the things we know about pain:

* It is constant for about 20% of people.

* Back pain is the most common pain.

* Most chronic patients have had pain for at least 3 years.

* As expected, the incidence increases with advancing age.

* Women report suffering more often than men.

* Only 70% of patients seek professional help.

pain management

Modern management programs must be multidisciplinary, combining input from physicians, acupuncturists, physical therapists, chiropractors, clinical psychologists, and occupational therapists, among others.

1. Narcotics are often prescribed for severe pain, but narcotics carry the potential for side effects and addiction, so patients and caregivers must weigh the level of pain against these dangers in the management process.

2. Numerous studies have found certain complementary therapies to be effective in management.

3. Massage therapy can accelerate pain relief, relieve stiff and sore muscles, and reduce inflammation and swelling.

4. Psychological pain management teaches people coping skills. Research has shown that having helpful, realistic thoughts is an important part of managing.

5. Natural pain relief is a coveted alternative to medications and chemical-based drugs and other synthetic medications. Herbs have been used for centuries to relieve pain, but many have not undergone extensive study. Some allergic reactions may occur with some patients using natural pain relief, but these can be easily controlled or prevented by doing a skin test before using natural pain relief.

6. One of the pain management modalities is trigger point injections and nerve blocks using long-acting anesthetics and small doses of steroids.

7. NSAIDs will not only relieve pain but also reduce fever and inflammation. However, there are real downsides associated with long-term use of these drugs.

8. Aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen are other common remedies used to relieve acute pain.

9. Morphine is the main active ingredient in opium and a very powerful pain reliever. Morphine will act directly on the central nervous system and is commonly used as a medication for acute and severe pain caused by surgery or major trauma. Morphine is also used as a medication to relieve moderate and severe chronic pain, such as that caused by cancer.

10. TENS machines provide short-term pain relief for many people. These machines are quite cumbersome but at least they don’t have any side effects.

11. Finally there is a new modality that has just hit the market and it is the Powerstrip pain patch that combines far infrared heat technology activated by body heat with quantum energy, red ginseng and marine phytoplankton.