By Maeve Talbot PT, DPT, DN-Cert, CSCS

When we have pain, many of us want to find immediate relief. This is often in the form of medication, but our goals should be addressing our issues over the long-term in the least invasive way possible. Here are some possibilities to do just that:

Physical and Sensory Interventions

  • Physical Therapy. Physical therapists try to find out the “why” behind the pain. They look at the whole body and try to determine if there is a musculoskeletal reason for the pain to be occurring. PT can help with joint mobility, movement coordination, strength, and energy. PT’s use exercise as their tool to address problems, and provide a plan to correct deficits and address pain. Something as simple as correcting the alignment of the body can have an immediate effect on symptoms.
  • Massage addresses pain due to tissue tightness or external injury. By releasing fascial restrictions, massage can increase blood flow and reduce inflammation.
  • Dry needling and TENS can both address pain relief; TENS using mild electrical current to address specific affected areas or as in dry needling , using small needles at trigger points to address muscle tension and pain.
  • Cold and heat therapies can impact the patient’s pain threshold, reduce edema and spasms.
  • These sensory therapies can also reduce blood pressure, strengthen the immune system, increase dopamine levels, and release endorphins all which can help override pain signals.

Psychological Interventions

  • Psychological interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback, and guided imagery can help patients change their perception of pain to address it more effectively. Pain is not just a physical response. It also involves our Nervous system. Interestingly, working on how the brain perceives pain can help reduce a person’s experience of it.
  • Mindfulness practices like Tai Chi and restorative yoga can help shift focus away from pain and use breathing to release it. These practices encourage a mind-body connection through the power of breath.
  • Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a process of tensing and relaxing muscles to relieve anxiety, stress, and many symptoms of more chronic illnesses. This allows the patient to focus on specific movement of the affected area, leading to decreased tension and improved functional mobility.

Benefits of Alternative Pain Management

  • These alternative therapies offer a less invasive, less expensive, and holistic approach to managing pain.
  • They are non-invasive (with the exception of dry needling) and effective, with little risk of side effects.
  • These more holistic options offer many benefits, including improved external and internal wellness, strengthened muscles, increased functional movement capacity, decreased negative emotional behavioral patterns, and decreased drug use.

Conclusion

Managing pain in alternative ways provides many benefits for patients who are willing to look beyond medication use to find ways to successfully manage flare-ups and chronic health issues. Talk to your doctor about when medication is absolutely needed, but consider alternative options to resolve the underlying issue causing your pain, and to obtain long-term relief.