Conquer Pain, Reclaim Life: Expert Insights into Effective Pain Management

Approximately 25% of all adults experience chronic pain of varying degrees and severities. This can impact their quality of life in several ways, including their mental and emotional health, activity levels, physical health, and more.

In addition to getting clinical treatment from physicians you may find at TOPS Surgical Specialty Hospital in Houston, you should be making lifestyle changes and adapting your routine for effective pain management and intervention.

Here are some things you can do to help manage your pain:

Learn Techniques to Breathe Through Pain

It may seem ineffective or pointless to breathe when you’re in continuous pain and discomfort, but there’s a lot of value in deep breathing for pain management. Known as purposeful relaxation, this approach works for both acute and chronic pain, and you can use it to redirect your attention from the pain to the breathwork, which can calm your mind, decrease stress hormones, reduce blood pressure, and relax your muscles.

Manage Stress and Anxiety More Effectively

Pain and stress are directly related to one another, and until you manage your stress levels through techniques like meditation, therapy, journaling, work-life balance, and directly managing your triggers, your pain will not ease up. You need to find ways to eliminate stress if you want to experience truly effective pain management at the clinical level. Both issues must be addressed concurrently. 

Move Your Body in Ways That Feel Good to You

It seems counterintuitive to exercise and work out when you’re in pain and highly uncomfortable. However, exercise and movement can actually alleviate pain and reduce flare-ups. Engage in physical activity that you enjoy, such as gentle stretching, slow walks, yoga, swimming, and more, in order to manage pain effectively. These exercises can help reduce pains and aches and release feel-good endorphins.

Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods for Better Health

Add more anti-inflammatory foods to your diet to minimize pain levels. These foods include berries, leafy greens, and many more and can go a long way toward helping you feel better on a day-to-day basis. These foods have been found to reduce inflammation in your body, which reduces pain.

If you’re struggling with pain and discomfort, you can set up an appointment for effective pain management with a pain management physician at TOPS Surgical Specialty Hospital in Houston. As one of the best surgical hospitals in the region, we have a number of capable pain management doctors to choose from.