Pain to Possibilities in 8 Achievable Steps

If you have an injury, have been in an accident, have had an operation, have a condition like Fibromyalgia, arthritis or cancer – pain can be a debilitating accompaniment and these are just a few common causes of pain.

Estimates from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2014–15 National Health Survey show about 3.7 million Australians (16% of the population) have back problems. It is estimated that 70–90% of people will suffer from lower back pain in some form at some point in their lives.Aug 29, 2017

Pain is responsible for loss of earnings for employer and employee, reduced ability to participate in enjoyable activities of life and creates a financial strain with treatment, job loss, medications and a strain on relationships.

Acute pain lets us know there is a problem and we generally respond pretty quickly to intervene and prevent additional damage.  After 3-6 months, Pain is considered chronic.  Even if healing has been complete at a tissue level, discomfort can continue for some time, even years.

Here are a few tips for managing better:

1. Find your flow – pace activities within your energy and pain tolerances. Persevere with gentle persistence. Do have regular breaks and change positions.  Put a timer on your device to get up and stretch, walk, drink water at least every hour.
2. Find your recipe of supportive therapies and commit to receiving what you need. Massage Therapy, talking therapies, hypnosis, yoga, mindfulness, relaxation techniques, pilates, exercise physiology, chiropractic. Sometimes a few approaches work better than just the one.
3. Use Ice and Heat appropriately. Whilst many recommend ice for nerve, acute and inflamed conditions and heat for more chronic and soft tissue problems, each individual has their own preferences. Try icepack wrapped in soft cloth for 5 minutes every hour, The gel packs are easy to use but lose their cool quickly. Take a face washer, wring it out under water, fold to the size required, put in a bag you take your vegies home from the shops in and put in the freezer.  It will hold its cold for 30 minutes.  For chronic pain, use heat for 10 minutes.  A wheat bag is great but avoid overheating as they occasionally combust. Using an old thin towel, fold to your preferred size, wring out under water, put in two shopping bags to keep water tight, put in microwave from 3+ minutes until the desired heat.  Avoid overheating to prevent burns.  This heat pack will stay hot for 30 minutes.  Perfect for on the way to work, getting into bed and watching TV.
4. Maintain muscle strength and flexibility with appropriate regular exercise, strengthening and stretching. Its hard to know whether a weak muscle or an overtight muscle causes the bigger problem but too much rest is not the answer. Consult your therapist about some appropriate suggestions.
5. Notice the connection of pain and guarding, emotions, thoughts and breathing patterns. You might like to have some support putting these dots together. When you are stressed and in pain, muscles turn on in an attempt to protect from further injury and painful movements. This action fatigues the muscles by overworking it, creating trigger points, tight fascia and poor posture. At the same time you might notice your breathing become shallow, fast or stopped for long periods.  We can work with you to correct these habits to improve relaxation.
6. If your pain management is medication based, doctors regularly recommend taking medication before pain gets too bad and at the recommended intervals. This is especially helpful in the acute stages of healing. Speak to your GP to hear specifically how to maximise medication support. Essential Oils provide relief from inflammation, muscle pain and circulation problems. Some favourites include Roman Chamomile, Lavender, Rosemary, Black Pepper, Peppermint, Marjoram, Lemongrass , Herbs, hydration and live foods are supportive. Avoiding some irritating foods can help those with food sensitivities.
7. Watch the language used to describe “that” pain. What other descriptive words could apply? Perhaps tension, ache, twinge, sharpness, dull, guarded, diffuse, numb, slight, intermittent. When we use the “P” word but the sensations are better reframed in a reduced intensity, our neurology patterns take us down all the pathways to memories of our worst experience and we align our thoughts, emotions, postures and behaviours accordingly.  Take a few moments to find some appropriate descriptive words for the sensations you are experiencing and rate them out of -/10, and then rate how often they occur, then how long does it stay at that rating before it drops down. You may be relieved to discover you are doing better than you thought.

Bringing those facts into a conscious space allows a settling into a new known truth. Its easier to be hopeful.

Refer to pain as “That discomfort” instead of calling it “My Pain”. This puts it out of the body in a disowned way.

8. Remember you and your body are not against one another. Pushing, judging and having unrealistic expectations takes you away from being supportive, gentle, peaceful, and healing. As you listen to what your body needs and respond accordingly, it will recover quicker and allow you to return to activities you enjoy sooner. The mind is not you. You can only mind over body for a period before the body becomes overwhelmed with exhaustion and everything comes to a halt. Better to hear the early warnings.

As well as being a massage therapist, Valerie is a trained Hypnotherapist and Counsellor with Certificatuin in Drain that Pain, a healing technique for Pain Elimination.  Please speak with us about the many approaches we use to help you untangle frustration, grief, change and disempowerment and design a plan to put acceptance, choice, ease and strength back in your life.