Tips to Manage Chronic Pain

Tips to Manage Chronic Pain

By: Emilia Kubera-Shelton, DPT

Bowie Location

Knowing more about how pain works is a key strategy for managing symptoms and improving outcomes of treatment. Ask questions about pain, nerves, and the brain during your appointments with your MD or physical therapist. 

For many years, the treatment choice for chronic pain included recommendations for rest and inactivity. However, exercise has specific benefits in reducing the severity of chronic pain and more general benefits associated with improved physical and mental health and physical functioning. Gentle movement, such as walking or swimming is a good start.

Preventing chronic pain is the best strategy. This means taking care of your medical problems when they arise and working with a physical therapist to address any new aches and pains. It is also important to put less focus on imaging and tests, such as X-rays and MRIs. Imaging often will show problems that may not even be related to your pain. A study performed on individuals aged 60 years or older, who had NO symptoms of low back pain, found that more than 90% had a degenerated or bulging disc, 36% had a herniated disc, and 21% had spinal stenosis. What shows up on an image may or may not be related to your symptoms. Consult with your MD or PT.

Lastly, Studies show that people with depression or anxiety are at increased risk for developing chronic pain. Addressing mental health is very important to overall wellbeing. Talk to your MD or PT about it and they can help you to find a mental health practitioner.