Unlike acute pain, chronic pain is a consistently recurring pain that continues beyond a usual recovery period. Chronic pain can be constant, or it can come and go. Many medical professionals say pain is chronic if it lasts more than three months.
Is managing chronic pain possible?
We’ll break down everything you need to know about chronic pain and offer four research-proven ways to incorporate natural pain relief in your life.
Most Common Places to Experience Chronic Pain
You can experience chronic pain in any part of the body to varying degrees. Here are a few common areas:
- Joint pain
- Neck pain
- Back muscle pain
- Hip muscle pain
- Leg muscle pain
- Cancer pain near a tumor
- Headaches, including migraines
- Neurogenic pain from damage to the nerves or other parts of the nervous system
Who Does Chronic Pain Affect?
At least 116 million U.S. adults—more than the number affected by heart disease, diabetes, and cancer combined—suffer from chronic pain. Worldwide, over 1.5 billion people suffer from chronic pain.
Older adults, individuals who have suffered an injury, and those who experience a chronic health condition are typically affected by chronic pain. Lifestyle factors such as stress, poor diet, and lack of sleep and exercise can also contribute to chronic pain.
Chronic pain can lead to other symptoms and conditions such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, and mood change. It can interfere with simple daily tasks and take an emotional and physical toll on someone. It can also negatively affect sleep, relationships, memory, and concentration.
The effects of chronic pain are serious. So, how can you find relief for muscle pain?
4 Best Ways of Managing Chronic Pain
Your pain management plan is specific to you and your symptoms. Some conditions require medications and professionals, and others can rely on natural pain relief. Below are some of the proven ways to manage pain and find muscle pain relief:
- Massage: Research shows that people who had four weekly hand massage sessions or self-massages at home have less hand pain and more grip strength. With a simple massage gun like the BluZen Mini Percussion Massager, you can effectively self-massage, relieving muscle stiffness and soreness. The powerful tool also promotes blood circulation and range of motion and improves the body’s soft tissue health.
- Heat and Cold Treatments: Heat and cold therapy—through heating pads, ice packs, or baths—is one of the most common muscle pain relief methods for chronic pain. Cold therapy decreases skin and muscle temperature and reduces blood flow and metabolic processes. Heat therapy increases skin and muscle temperature as well as blood flow and metabolic processes.
- Physical Therapy: Physical therapy can guide you through stretches and strength-building exercises that should soothe chronic pain symptoms. These exercises can improve coordination and movement and reduce stress and strain on your body. Physical therapy can also support better posture. Posture awareness and correction can train the body to adjust how you move in everyday tasks to increase functional abilities and provide shoulder pain relief.
- Emotional and Psychological Practices: The brain is a powerful tool and chronic pain can activate the brain to decrease pain tolerance. The pain signals the brain to heighten sensitivity to possible threats of pain. Any practice that trains the brain can lead to better pain management. Yoga, meditation, art/music therapy, psychotherapy, and aromatherapy are popular ways to support natural pain relief.
First Steps Towards Managing Chronic Pain
Figuring out how to manage chronic pain can be overwhelming. Let BluZen help!
Financially, a weekly massage may be unrealistic. Thanks to one of the best massage guns on the market, though, we can help you experience natural pain relief right from your home. Alternatively, maybe you want to give essential oils a chance. If you’re new to aromatherapy, rest assured that the research says it all!
At BluZen, we’re here to support you in your pain management journey and help you live a happier and healthier life.