What NOT To Do When In Pain, According To Experts

By Nutriomo Labs Team | 210 views

Pain affects more Americans than any other disease plaguing America today, combined.

The CDC estimates that 50 million American adults deal with chronic pain on a daily basis.

Many rely on prescription medication just to get through the day, but an increasing number of research suggest that pills may not be the best answer for pain.

One review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that pain pills work only slightly better than placebos.

The review of 96 clinical trials found that at best, conventional pain prescriptions made only a tiny bit of difference for people suffering from osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and sciatica.

And even then, pain relief from such medications may come at a price in the form of side effects such as vomiting, nausea, drowsiness, and constipation.

Lead researcher Jason Busse says that such pills “should not be a first-line therapy for chronic, non-cancer pain.”

Busse isn’t the only expert who thinks pain pills shouldn’t be the first thing patients should reach for.

Pain medicine specialist Dr. Michael Ashburn agrees with the findings of the review:

This is confirmation of the limited role opioids play in treating chronic, non-cancer pain.

Ashburn, who co-wrote an editorial published with the review findings, stresses that the risks may outweigh the benefits, and that such medication “really only provide modest longer-term effects, and taking them for longer periods significantly increases the risk of harm.”

So what about other treatment options available today?

According to a series of papers published in the Lancet, a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal:

Worldwide, overuse of inappropriate tests and treatments such as imaging, opioids and surgery means patients are not receiving the right care, and resources are wasted.

The papers suggest that no amount of scans will make you feel better, and pain medication may do more harm than good.

Or at least that’s what the experts think when it comes to back pain.

Research shows that the biggest issue of low back pain is musculoskeletal, caused by damage to ligaments, joints, and muscles surrounding the spine.

There is a bit of good news at least.

For backaches relating to musculoskeletal issues, 90% of cases will be better within six weeks, regardless of what you do for treatment.

Sure, you could try and zap away your pain using a TENS machine (which uses a mild electric current) or stick a bunch of needles where it hurts with acupuncture...

But there’s really no good evidence that any of such treatments can bring you any significant relief from your pain.

And while it’s tempting to stay in bed all day until the pain goes away, that’s one thing you should never do, as prolonged bed rest can actually cause you even bigger problems in the form of thrombosis (blood clotting).

What you should do is resume normal activity as soon as possible, and temporarily modify certain activities where necessary.

For the long term, you’ll want to consider adaptations to the workplace, avoiding heavy lifting, and concentrating on core muscle strengthening with low-impact workouts such as tai chi, pilates, swimming, or some form of yoga once your pain becomes more manageable.