If you’ve been feeling pain in your body for weeks, months, or years, visiting a pain clinic can help. If left unmanaged, chronic discomfort might affect your daily life as well as your emotional and mental health. With the help of a pain management specialist, you can manage your condition in the following ways:
Taking Medication
A pain clinic can prescribe medication to ease your chronic symptoms. The drugs prescribed will depend on the severity of your discomfort and its underlying causes. If you’re suffering from arthritis, anti-inflammatory drugs might reduce the swelling. A person with a nerve condition may need medication that targets the nervous system.
Apart from medication, the doctor might also give you an injection depending on your condition. If you have a chronic ache in your lower back in the sacroiliac joints, the specialist may administer a sacroiliac injection. After the injection, you may feel some relief and numbness in your back for several hours.
Physical Therapy
Some clinics offer physical therapy to help people improve their strength, flexibility, and mobility. Conditions such as degenerative disc disease and lower back discomfort often cause stiffness and reduced movement. If your lower back is always aching, a physical therapist can create an exercise program that targets muscles in your back, core, and hip joints. The exercises strengthen your back muscles such as the erector spinae, which support your spine. This may alleviate the strain on the lumbar spine and reduce your discomfort.
The physical therapist might also recommend a hands-on approach such as massages and joint mobilization. A deep tissue massage focuses on the innermost layers of tissues and muscles to ease chronic tension by releasing muscle knots. It could also improve blood flow in the affected area and deliver nutrients and oxygen to the tissues, promoting relief. For joint mobilization, the specialist moves certain joints such as knee, shoulder, or ankle joints in a gentle oscillating manner to minimize stiffness and improve flexibility.
Alternative Treatments
Pain clinics can help you manage chronic discomfort through alternative procedures such as acupuncture and chiropractic care. In acupuncture, the specialist treats certain points of your body to stimulate your nerves and release endorphins. If you have a herniated disc, the specialist will target several acupoints to stimulate large nerve fibers. By stimulating larger nerves, the action might reduce your mind’s perception of the disc’s ache, providing relief.
The doctor might also recommend chiropractic care as an alternative way to treat your spine. When a disc herniates, it can cause misalignment in your spine, making you experience pressure on nerves and surrounding tissues, leading to discomfort. A chiropractor can use a controlled gentle force to realign your spine, ease the ache, and restore your back’s flexibility. They may position you on a specialized table that will gently stretch your spine as they apply a precise adjustment. This may alleviate pressure on your discs and nerves and lessen the ache.
Visit a Pain Clinic Today
Pain clinics can provide long term support for chronic discomfort. From taking medication, physical therapy, or alternative therapy, you’ll get a comprehensive plan that addresses the root causes of your suffering, reduce it, and live a more active life. Visit a pain clinic today to consult with experts and start managing your discomfort.
