The most difficult issue when it comes to chronic body pain is usually the constant throbbing awareness which is associated with it. So what needs to be understood are the various reasons why it occurs, and then learning to manage the pain the best way possible, as doing so impacts one’s livelihood.
This type of pain is also generally associated with the majority of arthritis sufferers. The first step in managing this pain is knowing what type of arthritic condition that you have, this so the proper treatment can be applied.
So before learning of the various pain management techniques that are available, it becomes important to understand a few of the concepts when it comes to any type of body related pain.
Know That All Pain Isn’t The Same
Just as there are different types and degrees of arthritis pain, there are also different grades of pain. The severity of this pain can even change from day to day or once the weather changes.
The Purpose Which Is Body Pain
When experiencing any type of pain, what your body is telling you is that there’s something wrong, and that you need to take some type of action. For example, if you happen to accidentally touch a hot stove with your hand, the brain delivers a sudden pain signal telling you to immediately pull your hand away, fast. What this type of pain does is it protects you.
But the longer lasting chronic pain such as arthritis, the hurt is different as it can linger. While it still tells you that something is definitely wrong, it’s not usually as easy to relieve.
The Very Causes Of Physical Pain
Arthritis pain depending on its type can be caused by several factors including:
• Inflammation, this the process which causes the redness along with the swelling in the joints
• Damage to joint tissues, which results from the disease process, or it could also be related to stress, injury, or too much pressure on the joints
• Fatigue which results from the actual disease process, which can at times make the pain even worse and often more difficult to bear, and
• Stress, anxiety, or mild depression, which is the result from limited movement because you no longer can do the activities that you enjoy
The Factors Of Body Related Pain
The everyday issues such as stress and anxiety, or just overdoing it on occasion can worsen the pain. This will often lead towards a decrease in performing physical activity, which on occasion can cause further anxiety resulting in an unwanted downward spiral of experiencing additional pain.
The Different Reactions To The Pain
Individuals will usually react differently to pain based on the degree of the hurt. Mentally, it becomes easy to get caught in a cycle of pain resulting in stress and anxiety, which often results from the inability to be able to perform certain functions, making the management of pain and arthritis appear more difficult.
Physically, the pain will increase the sensitivity of your nervous system along with the severity of the arthritis. Emotional as well as social factors include your expectation of the pain, and the previous experiences of the pain which affects your energy levels as well as your attitude regarding your condition, and the way that people around you react to this pain.
How To Manage Your Pain The Best Way Possible
Having arthritis will usually limit some of the things that you can or want to do, but it also doesn’t mean that it has to control your life.
One of the best ways of reducing this type of pain is to build your life around the wellness principle, and not towards pain or sickness. What this entails is taking positive action. Know that your mind plays a vital role in how you experience pain, how it manages the pain, and responds to the illness.
The majority of those with arthritis have found that learning and then practicing pain management skills works as a method of reducing their pain. They think of this pain as a signal to take some type of positive action, rather than an ordeal which they need to endure.
The best known ways to counteract the downward spiral of body pain is by practicing relaxation techniques, using hot and cold packs, getting regular massages, moderate exercise, and maintaining a positive outlook.
Avoid Focusing On The Pain
The amount of actual time that you spend thinking about pain has a direct effect on how much discomfort that you feel. Those who persistently dwell on their pain will usually claim that the pain is worse than those who don’t bother to think about it.
One proven way of taking your mind off it is by somehow distracting yourself. Begin by focusing something that’s outside of your body, which could be a hobby or anything of personal interest, this to not think of the pain.
Thinking As Positively As Possible
What we tell ourselves often determines what we think and do, and how we look at life. Just by having a positive outlook can get you feeling a lot better about yourself and your condition, helping you relieve the pain.
Conversely, what having a negative outlook does is it sends the wrong messages to yourself and your body which can often lead towards increased pain, or at the very least, that the feeling is actually worse.
So make sure that you always continue to reinforce your positive attitude by rewarding yourself, this by thinking about or do things which are positive to distract from the pain.