Lifestyle changes that can help with Managing Chronic Pain
Chronic pain can be defined as pain that lasts more than 3 months. More than ¼ of US citizens deal with chronic pain. It is one of the most common complaints seen in outpatient medical clinics. The United States spends well over 100 billion dollars a year on healthcare costs related to pain management and opioid dependence. These expenses exceed the costs of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease combined. There are multiple categories of pain that exist including: neuropathic, nociceptive, musculoskeletal, inflammatory, psychogenic, and mechanical. In a physical therapy clinic – these can all be seen and treated. In the outpatient setting, the most commonly encountered and treated are nociceptive, musculoskeletal, and mechanical. One of the main ways we try and manage chronic pain involves lifestyle changes.
Nociceptive pain is pain someone experiences due to tissue injury such as bruises or sprains. Musculoskeletal pain is pain that is caused by injury to muscles, ligaments, bones, and tendons. And mechanical pain can be caused by your dysfunction of spinal joints, discs, vertebrae, or soft tissues.
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is often multifactorial and not related to just once single incident. Oftentimes, people develop chronic pain and are unable to pinpoint a specific event when their pain began. ItI can affect many body parts (the back, hips, knees, shoulders, or neck)…there are many things that can be implemented to someone’s lifestyle to help with management of the chronic pain.
As a physical therapist, I am often working with individuals that are in pain. There are different techniques that we, as physical therapists, utilize for pain management. These techniques can include, but are not limited to: soft tissue mobilization, trigger point release, dry needling, and specific exercises and stretches.
When individuals are presenting with chronic pain, I like to make it clear that the pain didn’t begin a day or even a week ago, so it is important to be patient throughout the process, the pain may not get better in 1 day. On top of different techniques I can utilize in the clinic for pain management, there are numerous lifestyle factors that I can educate patients on to assist with reducing the chronicity of their pain [1][2].
Lifestyle Changes that Work to Manage Chronic Pain
Some of the lifestyle changes that I like to inform my patients of are: exercise and movement, hydration, sleep quality, nutrition, and stress.
Exercise and movement
Exercise and movement is extremely beneficial for humans – especially those that are in pain. Movement promotes blood flow, which promotes tissue healing. Exercising can improve your energy levels. It can also improve your bone density which makes you less likely to re-injure yourself. It is also helpful in reducing stress levels and can help you to sleep more soundly. Strength training specifically can improve you independence with daily activities, making it easier to get around, get up and down, and complete tasks such as going to the grocery store or getting on and off the ground with grandchildren.
Hydration
Hydration is very important because it allows the various systems of the body to function properly. If you are dehydrated, you may feel sluggish, tired, and have increased pain levels. It can help to reduce inflammation around joints, too. A study from 2016 reviewed the effects of hypohydration *under hydration* on perceived pain levels. It found the hypohydration resulted in increased pain sensitivity, meaning that their bodies were more sensitive to pain when not properly hydrated [3].
Our major organs (the brain, heart, lungs, liver, for example) are made up of a significant amount of water. When the body is dehydrated, the brain will send signals instructing muscles, bones, and tissues to give up water to ensure that major organs have what they need to function. If your joints and tendons have to give up water for your major organs, this can lead to more pain! Stay hydrated, friends. Aim for ~4-8 oz. during each waking hour [4].
Sleep quality
Sleep quality is important to recovery because it is when our bodies rest and recover from the demands of the day. If someone is in chronic pain, and also doesn’t get good rest, their bodies will have more difficulty recovering each day, over and over. There is a reciprocal relationship where pain during the day affects the quality of that night’s sleep and poor quality sleep increases pain levels the next day. There are many things that can be done to improve the quality of sleep. Being on a regular schedule of sleeping and waking around the same time everyday can be helpful as our bodies love routine. It can also be helpful to have a colder, dark and quiet room. There are medical professionals that can also help assist with improving sleep quality, which could positively impact your pain levels [5].
Nutrition
Nutrition play a big role in how our bodies feel overall. Processed sugars can cause increased levels of systemic inflammation, which can further increase pain that is already present. Eating more fruits, vegetables, and lean meats – balancing foods to include plenty of protein, carbohydrates, and good fats. There are also licensed nutritionists and dieticians that can look more deeply at nutrition and help you to make a personalized plan. What we put into our bodies can play a huge role in how we feel and how we recover, so it is important to be informed on what is most nutritional and beneficial for you to feel better.
Stress
Stress levels can impact pain levels tremendously. If someone is highly stressed on a daily basis and also in pain, this can amplify the intensity of the pain. Pain and stress both aid in protecting a person, for example, from physical injury or starvation. When either of these processes becomes chronic, it can lead to long-term “maladaptive” changes which lead to suffering and compromised well-being. When our bodies are stressed, they have a lot more difficulty with recovering and getting good quality sleep. As you know, these factors can intensify pain that is already present. There are many different things that can be done to reduce stress levels – a few examples include: mindfulness and mediation, exercise, yoga, getting in the sunlight, or doing something that makes you smile. When stress levels are under control and well managed, our nervous system is no longer in a hyperactive state. Managing stress levels can help manage chronic pain due to the close relationship between the two. [6]
Summary
This is by no means an all inclusive list of ways to help with management of chronic pain. These are a few of my favorite topics to discuss with patients that I treat with chronic pain because they are small changes that can create a positive impact on pain levels. When someone’s body is chronically hurting, taking a big picture approach is important because chronic pain is multifactorial. If you are dealing with pain that won’t seem to go away, get in touch with a medical provider to begin addressing ways for management.
And, if you experience chronic pain in the Augusta area, book an appointment online to schedule a consult with one of our clinicians to begin your road towards long-term healing. Or, call the office today to learn more!
References:
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553030/
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26785699/
[4] https://www.doleysclinic.com/single-post/2018/11/15/hydration-and-chronic-pain
