If you suffer from chronic pain, you’re not alone; 50.2 million adults in the U.S. are in the same boat. Moreover, experts estimate this condition causes annual productivity losses of $300 billion.
Even worse, chronic pain can cause complications, including sleep problems and mental illnesses. Indeed, those experiencing long-term pain are at a higher risk of developing depression.
Fortunately, there are many options to treat chronic pain. Some don’t even require medications.
We rounded up the non-medicated ways to relieve long-term pain below, so read on.
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Move More
It may seem counterintuitive, but exercise can help by triggering brain responses. For starters, it aids in the normalization of the pain signal process. In addition, it encourages the release of more serotonin and other natural analgesics.
Besides, exercising can also help lessen pain-inducing inflammation. With reduced swelling comes increased mobility.
So, before you shrug off exercise, try stretching, walking, and swimming first. These activities may be enough to help you that you may no longer need medicated pain management.
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Consider Stem Cell Therapy
Stem cells are the body’s “mother cells,” as they give birth to cells with specialized functions. So, it’s no wonder that when they divide, they form new cells referred to as “daughter cells.”
Daughter cells can then transform into new stem cells. However, they can also become cells with specific functions, such as muscle or bone cells. In the second scenario, they can replace damaged cells that may be causing your chronic pain.
Thus, stem cell therapy is one of your options to manage chronic pain and achieve pain relief. However, its safe and proper administration requires medical doctors. If you’re okay with that, you should consider visiting a nearby local stem cell clinic.
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Try Massage Therapy
Tense and wound-up muscles can contribute to chronic pain and reduce the range of motion. Massage therapy, in turn, aims to release that tension with careful movements. Moreover, it can promote better circulation and relaxation.
Those potential effects of massage alone may already help you find pain relief. However, researchers also found that it can reduce cortisol, the stress hormone. Moreover, they discovered that it increased serotonin levels.
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Give Hydrotherapy a Shot
Hydrotherapy also goes by the names water therapy and aquatic physical therapy (APT), to name a few. In any case, it’s a form of recovery exercise done in a pool or a body of water. Its goal is to rehabilitate, treat, and prevent injuries.
APT is an ideal alternative to more stressful exercises like jogging or running. One reason is that exercising in water is comfier, thanks to water’s natural buoyancy. That buoyancy then helps reduce the weight and stress you place on your joints.
Because hydrotherapy is still a form of exercise, it can help decrease pain and keep you mobile.
Treat Chronic Pain Without Medication
As you can see, there are many ways to treat chronic pain that doesn’t involve taking medicines. From exercise to hydrotherapy, they’re all non-medicated pain relief strategies. So, if you want to avoid popping more and more pills, consider these methods instead.
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