Chronic pain is a reality that many seniors face daily. Our bodies get more fragile as we age. Chronic pain makes living daily life hard and can cause seniors to become homebodies. Here are 6 ways to deal with chronic pain.
6 Ways to Deal with Chronic Pain
Seniors should stay moving as long as possible. Here are a few ways you can help them handle their pain.
1. Maintaining an Active Lifestyle
Living a slow and barely moving lifestyle is one of the primary causes of chronic pain. Our bodies need to be moving to stay fit. If our bodies don’t move, then our muscles start to disappear.
So moving is important to stay healthy.
2. Taking Medication
When prescribed by a doctor, medication is really helpful at treating the symptoms of chronic illness. Anti-inflammatory drugs can treat muscular issues that cause pain. Aspirin can treat the pain.
If these drugs aren’t powerful enough, the doctor may prescribe opiates. Though they have many side effects that could turn into a problem.
3. TENS Therapy
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, TENS, is a popular treatment for chronic pain caused by muscular issues. A TENS unit is a small electrical device with 2 electrodes.
A low voltage current passes through the skin and into the muscle tissue. This creates impulses that are detected by the central nervous system.
The current stimulates the nerves, reducing pain to a manageable level.
4. Chiropractic and Massage Therapy
A chiropractor is a great way to treat pain without any drugs being involved. Inflammation and muscle tension can cause your bones to move out of place. This can make it hard to move and cause pain.
Chiropractors can manually move the bones back into place, helping with the pain.
Massage therapists can help with the tense muscles by forcing them to relax. They do this by stretching out the muscles so that the knots in them come undone.
These are only temporary treatments though.
5. Assisted Living
Chronic pain can get to the point where basic care is too difficult. Nutrition and hygiene are essential to slowing the aging process. Having a live in caregiver or an assisted living community can help seniors immensely.
Assisted living communities or a live in caregiver can help with basic care and keep seniors social.
6. Reduce Stress
Stress can cause flare ups with chronic pain. Our body reacts to stress with increased blood pressure and muscle tension. This increases pain. This is a cycle that’s hard to break.
Doing things that make you happy and reduce your stress can help a lot. You would be surprised at how sitting in the sun and being with friends can make you feel better.
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