How Women in Recovery Manage Chronic Pain Without Relapse
Pain makes everything feel ten times harder, interfering with your work and spoiling your enjoyment of life. Many people live with long-term and recurring pain that nothing seems to touch. It could stem from underlying health conditions, injuries, or unexplained causes.
Painkillers are a potent approach for dealing with many types of pain. And yet, they are also fraught with risks, especially for people vulnerable to addiction and substance abuse problems. They may also lead to problems in internal organs, such as the liver and kidneys.
The challenge is worse for women since they tend to suffer pain more frequently than men. The FDA notes that women also have worse odds of becoming dependent on painkillers.
Some situations, such as surgeries and traumatic accidents, may mandate painkillers. But it is advisable to seek drug-free approaches whenever possible. Here are a few options women can try to make their lives easier.
1. Explore Physical and Alternative Therapies
How good does a massage feel when you are weary? It is no wonder that massaging has long been a go-to for pain relief. It works by promoting blood circulation and releasing endorphins to boost mood and relaxation. Many physicians now recommend periodic massage therapies for people with long-term pain issues.
Understandably, consulting a masseuse every month may not match every budget. Percussive massage guns are now available to make the treatment more budget-friendly. These home-use guns deliver vibrations to specific sore spots and promote blood flow.
Cleveland Clinic recommends using massage guns at moderate pressure. It is safest to restrict their use to a few minutes at a time for any muscle group.
Some women find alternative therapies like acupuncture successful for pain management. The NHS UK explains that acupuncture works by stimulating sensory nerves using fine needles. This procedure can trigger endorphins. The essence of this treatment is Qi, or what ancient Chinese practitioners believe to be the life force.
Acupuncture may be effective at managing chronic pain and migraines. Some people also undergo these sessions to manage the repercussions of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments.
While exploring alternative therapies, it is crucial to watch out for overhyped strategies like crystals and essential oils. Many such approaches lack scientific backing.
2. Activate Your Body’s Natural Pain Control
Recurrent pain is common for many women as their bodies go through menstrual cycles. In some cases, the pain can feel debilitating and affect daily functioning. Unfortunately, women are no strangers to pain, with the rising incidence of conditions like endometriosis and lower back issues.
Advancements in medical research show potential in activating natural pain control responses to address these concerns. Besides endorphins, our nervous system can help us by preventing pain-related signals from reaching the brain. For example, a clinically tested period pain relief device can send micro-pulses to block the pain input, thus closing the gates in the spinal cord.
These approaches use the Gate Control Theory of Pain, a well-established neurobiological construct first proposed in 1965. According to Livia, adopting such alternative approaches may eliminate the need to use painkillers. Letting the body take charge is often a safer and more sustainable wellness approach than building a dependence on medication.
You can also try the following methods to help your body fight pain naturally:
- Moderate intensity exercise like walking
- Playing music and laughing to release endorphins
- Safe exposure to ultraviolet light, i.e., being in the sunshine
3. Train Your Brain to Alter Its Pain Perception
Brain training forms the foundation of society in many ways, from schooling to skill development and adapting to major life transitions. Interestingly, it is also possible to train our minds to experience less pain.
- Mindfulness Meditation
It is one of the most accessible solutions for handling recurring pains. However, unless you have experienced the benefits of meditation before, it can seem trite and pointless. Many social media influencers talk grandly about the benefits of meditation, arousing apprehension among those who are skeptical.
The good news is that some recent reports note that meditation can indeed benefit pain management to some extent. Recent research published in Biological Psychiatry found that mindfulness meditation significantly reduced brain activity related to pain perception. The study used fMRI, or functional magnetic resonance imaging. Its inputs helped understand which brain regions get activated at a specific time.
These results indicate that meditation does not produce a placebo effect but acts on pain in more concrete ways. It is also relatively straightforward to adopt into your daily routine through breathing exercises and body awareness.
- Pain Reprocessing Therapy
Some contemporary therapists advocate for pain reprocessing therapy for addressing chronic health issues. It teaches people to recognize and not be threatened by pain signals.
This therapy attempts to break the cycle of fear and avoidance that people with chronic pain experience. Over time, it helps them become aware of how brain pathways circulate pain. Understanding the underlying mechanism brings them control, and they learn to perceive pain as something they can manage.
The above solutions may take longer to take effect than medication-based routes. However, they may also be more sustainable and not harm your health insidiously. For women, pain can be an uninvited guest that shows up frequently. Learning how to deal with it in constructive and therapeutic ways can be life-changing.