Posted on Feb 23, 2009

There are 2 types of pain: acute and chronic. Acute pain doesn't last long and usually goes away as your body heals. Chronic pain lasts at least 6 months after your body has healed. Sometimes, when people have chronic pain they don't know what is causing it. Along with discomfort, chronic pain can cause low self-esteem, depression and anger, and it can interfere with your daily activities.   Treatment of chronic pain usually involves medicines and therapy. Medicines used for chronic pain include pain relievers, antidepressants and anticonvulsants. Different types of medicines help people with different types of pain. You usually use long-acting medicines for constant pain. Short-acting medicines treat pain that comes and goes. Several types of therapy can help ease your pain. Physical therapy (such as stretching and strengthening activities) and low-impact exercise (such as walking, swimming or biking) can help reduce the pain. However, exercising too much or not at all can hurt chronic pain patients. Occupational therapy teaches you how to pace yourself and how to do ordinary tasks differently so you won't hurt yourself. Behavioral therapy can reduce your pain through methods (such as meditation and yoga) that help you relax. It can also help decrease stress. Lifestyle changes are also an important part of treatment for chronic pain. Getting regular sleep at night and not taking daytime naps should help. Stopping smoking helps, too, because the nicotine in cigarettes can make some medicines less effective. Smokers also have more pain than nonsmokers. Most pain treatments will not take away all of your pain. Instead, treatment should reduce how much pain you have and how often it occurs. Talk to your doctor to learn how to best control your pain.   Complementary therapies Complementary therapies may reduce pain, help you cope with stress, and improve your emotional and physical well-being. These include: Acupuncture, a treatment based on traditional Chinese medicine, where very thin needles are inserted into the skin at certain points on the body to produce energy flow. Aromatherapy, or essential oils therapy, which uses a plant's aroma-producing oils (essential oils) to treat disease. Biofeedback, a method of consciously controlling a body function that is normally regulated automatically by the body, such as skin temperature. Chiropractic therapy, a hands-on therapy based on the theory that many medical disorders (especially disorders of the nervous system) may be caused by subluxations in the spine. Guided imagery, a series of thoughts and suggestions that direct a person's imagination toward a relaxed, focused state. Healing touch, which influences a person's physical or emotional health without physically touching the person. Homeopathy, or homeopathic medicine, which is a medical philosophy and practice based on the idea that the body has the ability to heal itself. Hydrotherapy, which uses water, in any form, to treat a disease or to maintain health. Hypnosis, which is a state of focused concentration during which a person becomes less aware of his or her surroundings. Some people learn to manage pain through concentrating in this special way. Magnet field therapy, a treatment that uses magnets to stimulate areas of the body to try to maintain health and treat illness. Massage, which is rubbing the soft tissues of the body, such as the muscles, to help reduce tension and pain, improve blood flow, and encourage relaxation. Meditation, which is the practice of focusing your attention to help you feel calm and give you a clear awareness about your life. Naturopathy, which promotes using organic foods and exercise; maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle; and applying concepts from other areas of complementary medicine (such as ayurveda, homeopathy, and herbal therapies) to try to improve health, prevent disease, and treat illness. Yoga, which uses meditation and exercises to help you improve flexibility and breathing, decrease stress, and maintain health.