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Disclaimer: This content is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. We do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information presented. We are not liable for any actions taken based on this content. For specific issues or decisions, we recommend seeking professional advice.
Chronic pain is generally defined as pain that persists longer than three months, is present most of the time, and interferes with your ability to live life fully. If this sounds like what you’ve been experiencing, it’s important to know that you’re not alone and that you can find medical professionals who will listen to you, believe you, and help you take steps in the right direction.
If you’re ready to take those steps, the following tips should help:
1. Find the right professional help
The best medical professional or physical therapist for you will depend greatly on the nature of your pain and your geographical location. If you’re in Melbourne, for example, you can get specialist referrals from your GP, and in the meantime, find some relief by visiting the best Melbourne osteopath.
If you’re in a more rural area, your options may be somewhat limited. However, you should still be able to find support, particularly now that telehealth has become so widespread. Either way, it’s important to find medical professionals and physical therapists whom you trust and with whom you have a good rapport.
2. Avoid general advice
Many articles about chronic pain will tell you to stretch more, try yoga, or engage in deep breathing exercises. While it’s true that these activities can help many people experiencing chronic pain, they’re not suitable for everyone. If your pain is caused by a condition on the hypermobility spectrum, for example, yoga and stretching are the last things you should be doing. Similarly, if your pain is related to an anxiety condition, focusing on your breath can make things worse.
This is why step one is so important – you must obtain your treatment and exercise recommendations from professionals who have determined the cause of your chronic pain.
3. Stick to your treatment plan
Once you have a diagnosis and a team of professionals you trust (for example, a GP, an osteopath, and a therapist), it’s important to diligently follow their recommendations. Visiting an osteopath once or twice a month is a great start, but if you don’t keep up with the exercises they give you to do at home, you’ll slide backward between each appointment. Similarly, if a specialist tells you to follow a certain diet but you refuse to give up alcohol or coffee, for example, you won’t see the kind of progress you’re hoping to see.
4. Take a holistic approach to address your pain
Here, we’re not talking about engaging in any form of pseudoscience or new-age mysticism. Rather, we’re talking about the original definition of “holistic” – understanding the parts of something (in this case, your body) as being intricately and inextricably connected to the whole.
So, the recommendation is to not just focus on the condition that’s directly causing your chronic pain but to consider other things that may be subtly contributing to it. For example, treating an underlying mental health condition like anxiety or PTSD can often help ease chronic pain.
5. Improve your sleep hygiene
Sleep is the time during which your body is able to heal, cleanse, and restore itself. If you’re not getting good quality sleep each night, then you’re falling deeper and deeper into sleep debt. Like financial debt, sleep debt can snowball until it becomes a massive burden that leaves you stressed out and unwell. So, leave electronic devices out of the bedroom, switch to soft amber lighting in the evenings, and aim for 7.5-8 hours of sleep a night.
Follow these tips, and you’ll be in a far better position to effectively manage and, hopefully, reduce your chronic pain over the coming months and years.
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