Five Tips for Pain Management
If you experience chronic pain, pain that lasts for weeks, months or even years after an injury, you are not alone. One in five Americans suffers from chronic pain according to a CDC study.
“Chronic pain can inhibit your day-to-day activity and even your interpersonal relationships,” said Francesco Vetri, MD, with Decatur Memorial Hospital Millennium Pain Center. “Seeking treatment and rehabilitation can help you manage your pain and improve overall quality of life.”
He offers these tips to help manage pain:
- Keep active. Regular activity is not only good for your mental health by providing structure and distraction, but it also helps you strengthen muscles. Stretch daily and before and after exercise. Avoid activity that causes you pain or strain.
- Practice self-care. Take steps to reduce your stress, relax, practice mindfulness.
- Prioritize quality sleep. A regular sleep routine can reduce pain. Turn off electronics before sleeping.
- Manage other conditions. Address other conditions that contribute to pain like diabetes or anxiety.
- Identify support. Spend time with friends and family to maintain a network of support.
If chronic pain interferes with your daily life, you may benefit from a pain clinic focused on helping people with chronic pain including inflammatory arthritis, back pain and fibromyalgia.
Pain clinics use a combination of pain education, behavioral health therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and/or injections, blocks or prescription drug remedies to treat chronic pain.
Looking for chronic pain treatment? Speak with your doctor about a pain medicine center near you:
- Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital Pain Management Service
- DMH Millennium Pain Center in Decatur, Illinois
- Memorial SpineWorks Pain Center in Springfield, Illinois
- Passavant Area Hospital Pain Management Clinic in Jacksonville, Illinois
- Taylorville Memorial Hospital Pain Management Techniques
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