C. Booth
Last Updated on January 7, 2021
One in four Americans has experienced a pain that lasted over a day, and that’s a very minor thing. There are many people who are constantly dealing with unbearable pain in their muscles, head or neck that prevent them from functioning as normal human beings.
Fortunately, there are many ways that can help more than ibuprofen. In fact, there are a lot of lifestyle moves that can truly make a difference and ward off the pain.
However, there are a few facts about chronic pain that many people never really knew about. And by learning more about it, you might be able to help yourself or anyone dealing with chronic pain to ease the hurt.
#1 – Women feel the pain more
Whether it is diabetes or an ankle sprain, women report more about their strong physical discomfort from all kinds of ailment, according to a study from Stanford University.
Scientists are still not sure why but research suggests that a mix of immune response, genetic, hormonal, and psychological factors are involved. Also, the menstrual cycle of a woman can play a role – the pain-dampening endorphins drop when the hormones do, which makes the body incapable to handle the discomfort.
There is another stereotype that explains men are more likely to act “tough” and not show how much pain they are suffering from, which is why women are more encouraged to report pain than men.
#2 – Rest doesn’t always help
When your back starts aching, your instinct tells you to move as little as possible. But doctors always suggest doing the opposite when there are only minor joint pain and muscle aches.
The patients are supposed to resume their normal activities as soon as possible, and there is research that supports it: there is a review that found people with lower back pain who remained active experienced less pain and functioned better than those who took it easy.
It is a good idea to ask your doctor about a course of physical therapy or a strength-training program. According to the 2015 study, the sooner people with lower back pain got PT, the less likely to do spinal injections, opioids, or surgery.
#3 – Migraines could get worse
Women going through menopause have to go through a series of unpleasant experiences, like hot flashes and mood swings. To top it all, research was done at 3,664 women with headaches and discovered that the risk of suffering from frequent migraines increases by 62% during peri-menopause.
At the last stage, the risk will be higher because of the low levels of estrogen. But here is the good news: hormonal therapies like estrogen patches and birth control pills can help… Discuss it with your doctor!
#4 – Natural painkillers
If you are more into natural remedies, then here are a few that can help greatly:
Acupuncture:
this is a traditional Chinese medicine that can actually reduce the frequency of tension headaches and lower the chronic pain of your lower back, knees, and neck.
Chiropractic:
The chiropractic treatment can work for up to 18 months, which is a great amount of no pain, according to a study funded by the NCCIH. The latter also found out that the other benefits of chiropractic treatment can also help migraines and neck pain.
Massage:
We truly don’t need a reason to go get a massage, but research found that they can help alleviate chronic neck and lower back pain, as well as osteoarthritis.
Yoga:
NCCIH funded another study that revealed Iyengar yoga is extremely beneficial for people with chronic lower back pain. This yoga focuses on proper alignment, which is perfect to decrease any pain, discomfort, and disability after 6 months.
#5 – Certain food can help or hurt
The foods that can help are cherry juice, sardines, and olive oil because they have anti-inflammatory properties and omega-3 fatty acids that can decrease the amount of pain you are experiencing. The extra-virgin olive oil has the same compounds of ibuprofen.
On the other hand, the foods that can hurt you are the sugary drinks (all of them), refined grains, and steak. If you are suffering from chronic pain, then it is best to avoid all of these foods because they trigger high levels of an inflammatory reaction in your body which increases your risk of suffering.
#6 – Rain and pain go hand in hand – sometimes.
It is said that the weather can highly affect your pain, which could be true in some cases, especially people with hip osteoarthritis who reported increased stiffness and pain when humidity rose. But those who suffer from knee osteoarthritis and lower back pain found no weather-related link.
Speaking of what’s true and untrue, many people believe that cracking your knuckles could lead to arthritis, which is completely false. Many studies found no evidence of the habit leading to any risk of osteoarthritis. The “pop” you hear is only bursting bubbles from the synovial fluid that works on keeping the joints lubricated.
#7 – Fibromyalgia
Because fibromyalgia is hard to detect, some people have to live with it for years until the doctors officially can diagnose it.
This is a chronic pain disorder that’s still not well understood, so doctors try to make the diagnosis based on a clinical exam, and one of the criteria is a widespread pain that travels throughout your body for at least 3 months.
One of the most important treatments of fibromyalgia is making changes in your lifestyle, which means exercising and reducing stress. There are also a few medications your doctor can prescribe like antidepressants and anti-seizure drugs.
#8 – Taking opioids
Codeine and oxycodone are opioid medications that work on attaching to the opioid receptors in the brain and body to decrease the pain. They also work on producing feelings of relaxation to ease things for you.
However, they can be a little addictive so make sure you take them only when you need to, like after being in unbearable agony after an accident.
In general, limit your use of these medications as much as you can because they can be extremely bad in the long run. If your doctor prescribed them to you for longer than a week, then ask if there are other options.
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