Manage Your Pain Pill-Free: Alternative Methods for Pain Management

The Prevalence of Pain in America

Pain is a widespread issue in the United States, affecting millions of Americans. According to recent CDC statistics, approximately 50 million adults in the U.S. suffer from chronic pain, while an additional 17  million experience high-impact chronic pain that significantly affects their daily lives.

Chronic pain is when someone experiences constant or recurring pain that lasts for a long time, usually more than three months. It can be caused by an injury, illness, or conditions like arthritis, and it can affect different parts of the body. 

Chronic pain can make it difficult to do everyday activities and can have a significant impact on a person's quality of life. It is important to find ways to manage and treat chronic pain to improve comfort and well-being.

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications can provide temporary relief for mild to moderate chronic pain. These easily accessible options include NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen, which reduce inflammation, and acetaminophen, which helps reduce pain and fever.

Exploring Alternative Methods for Pain Management

There are many alternative methods for managing pain, especially for orthopedic patients.

Heat/Cold therapy: Alternating between heat and cold therapy can help alleviate pain and promote healing. Heat can improve blood flow and reduce stiffness, while cold can numb pain and reduce inflammation.

Physical Therapy: Working with a physical therapist can help manage pain and improve mobility. A customized treatment plan can target the specific area of injury and address any underlying functional deficiencies.

Injections: Certain injections, such as corticosteroid injections or nerve blocks, can provide temporary pain relief for orthopedic conditions.

Minimally-Invasive Surgery: In some cases, minimally-invasive surgical procedures can be an option. These procedures involve smaller incisions, less tissue damage, and quicker recovery times compared to traditional open surgeries.

High-Tech Techniques for Chronic Pain Relief

While non-opioid medications and therapies like physical therapy are effective for many patients with chronic pain, some find no relief. Fortunately, advanced techniques are being developed that offer promising results for relieving pain and preventing its return.

Radiofrequency ablation: This technique involves using radio waves to burn the nerve responsible for the pain and short-circuiting the pain signal, providing up to a year of pain relief.

Nerve blocks: Pain medicine physicians can use X-ray imaging to inject numbing medication that blocks or dampens nerve signals and potentially prevents chronic pain. Relief may take multiple injections or treatments.

Nerve stimulation: Low-voltage electrical pulses from a small device sent through pads attached to the skin can interrupt nerve signals to the brain or stimulate the production of the body's natural painkillers for short-term pain relief.

Spinal cord stimulation: Using a pacemaker-like device, physicians implant the device in the lower back and attach it to tiny wires in the spinal canal, replacing pain with a more tolerable sensation, such as tingling. Patients can use a remote control to send signals to the painful area.

Pain pumps: Implantable drug pumps allow patients to deliver pain medications to the spinal cord, providing relief without oral medication's side effects. Patients feel a psychological boost from having direct control over their pain.

The goal of pain management is to improve function and quality of life. There are many options for effectively  managing pain. At OrthoArkansas,  we are committed to exploring all of these options for our patients and developing personalized treatment plans to address your individual needs.