Effective Strategies for Chronic Pain Management

Chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than “normal healing,” typically more than 3-6 months. Chronic pain is a very common problem and can affect your quality of life and productivity, making it difficult to move around or get rest. 

Women are at a higher risk for chronic pain and suffer from migraine headaches and neck, facial and lower back pain at up to twice the rate men do. Women are also more likely to develop conditions that cause chronic pain. For example, women are three times more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis and four to seven times more likely to develop fibromyalgia than men are.[11] 

If you experience chronic pain, taking an opioid to relieve the pain isn’t your only option. Other medications, such as NSAIDS, aren’t addictive and can be just as effective for pain management. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, these methods can help manage some painful conditions: 

• Acupuncture 

• Hypnosis 

• Massage 

• Mindfulness meditation 

• Spinal manipulation 

• Tai chi 

• Yoga  

To learn more, check out this resource from the National Institutes of Health that highlights certain methods that have been scientifically proven to help treat chronic pain.