Mind-Body Treatments for Pain
Controlling pain is the hardest part of managing osteoarthritis (OA). Pain can lead to a vicious circle of inactivity, which leads to greater pain and muscle weakness, and thus greater inactivity. Pain may affect your ability to do daily tasks and can also lead to depression.
Most people feel their OA symptoms get better with physical activity and exercise. Your doctor may also recommend medications to help control your pain enough to start an exercise program. However, the complex nature of pain and its unique interpretation by the brain of each patient means that complementary and alternative pain management strategies should be explored and incorporated into your personal pain management plan.
Most people feel their OA symptoms get better with physical activity and exercise. Your doctor may also recommend medications to help control your pain enough to start an exercise program. However, the complex nature of pain and its unique interpretation by the brain of each patient means that complementary and alternative pain management strategies should be explored and incorporated into your personal pain management plan.
Treatments for Pain
Injections
How the Body Controls Pain
Pain signals travel through a system of nerves located throughout your body. Pain information goes from your joint to several parts of the brain. The parts of your brain that recognize pain also help control mood, sleep, and hormones. That’s why having chronic pain can affect so many areas of your body and your daily life. Different factors, such as your own thoughts and emotions, can either make pain worse or help your body to produce pain-relieving chemicals.
A comprehensive pain management plan should include:
A comprehensive pain management plan should include:
- Education about the OA pain mind-body connection.
- Coping mechanisms and complementary/alternative therapies for dealing with OA pain.
- Relaxation techniques to support physical and emotional relief from OA pain.
Emotional Wellness & Mind-Body Connection
You can learn to manage your pain by thinking of pain as a signal that can be changed by taking positive actions. Small changes in attitude and outlook about the pain you experience can help reframe your mindset, which supports more successful treatment outcomes.
A few exercises to strengthen your emotional wellness and mind-body connection are listed below:
Keep a positive attitude.
Don’t allow pain to control your life. Work to control your pain by:
A few exercises to strengthen your emotional wellness and mind-body connection are listed below:
Keep a positive attitude.
Don’t allow pain to control your life. Work to control your pain by:
- Thinking positive thoughts
- Having a sense of humor
- Eating a balanced diet
- Exercising regularly
- Surrounding yourself with positive people
- Enjoying activities with friends and family
Practice positive self-talk: What we say to ourselves often affects what we do and how we look at life. Practice turning your negative statements around. Instead of saying “My knees are killing me,” say “Going for a walk usually loosens them up, I’ll try that.”
Distract yourself: The amount of time you spend thinking about pain has a lot to do with how much pain you feel. One way to take your mind off pain is to focus on something else. The more you focus on a hobby or other activity, the less you’ll think about pain.
Shift your perspective: Think of pain as your body’s message to do something different. For example, if your pain is worse after sitting for a long time, your body may be telling you to get up and move around.
Remember the factors that worsen pain symptoms:
Distract yourself: The amount of time you spend thinking about pain has a lot to do with how much pain you feel. One way to take your mind off pain is to focus on something else. The more you focus on a hobby or other activity, the less you’ll think about pain.
Shift your perspective: Think of pain as your body’s message to do something different. For example, if your pain is worse after sitting for a long time, your body may be telling you to get up and move around.
Remember the factors that worsen pain symptoms:
- Less activity
- Emotional and physical stress
- Focusing on pain
- Fatigue and poor sleep
- Anxiety
- Depression
Change your habits
Try doing something positive in place of an old pain-escaping habit. Instead of reaching for another dose of pain medicine, reach for an ice pack or warm compress. Keep track of what works and what doesn’t. Make a chart or journal of the pain-control methods you’ve tried and track ones that work best for you.
Coping Mechanisms for Dealing with Pain
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies are usually combined with conventional treatments to manage pain and enhance emotional and mental health.
These include supplements, touch therapies (e.g., massage, physical therapy), therapeutic exercise (e.g., yoga and tai chi), acupuncture, biofeedback therapy, meditation, and relaxation techniques. CAM therapies are usually combined with medical treatments to manage pain and improve mood and coping strategies. In addition to exercising, staying active and losing weight, you can fight OA pain with some tried-and-true remedies, including hot and cold treatments can reduce the pain and stiffness of arthritis. Cold packs numb the sore area and reduce inflammation and swelling. Cold is especially good for joint pain caused by a flare. Heat relaxes your muscles and stimulates blood circulation. We always say, “Heat before, ice afterwards.”
Usually applied directly to the painful joint, heat may be more useful for chronic pain or for “warming up” before exercising. Cold packs may provide relief from acute pain or for after exercising.
These include supplements, touch therapies (e.g., massage, physical therapy), therapeutic exercise (e.g., yoga and tai chi), acupuncture, biofeedback therapy, meditation, and relaxation techniques. CAM therapies are usually combined with medical treatments to manage pain and improve mood and coping strategies. In addition to exercising, staying active and losing weight, you can fight OA pain with some tried-and-true remedies, including hot and cold treatments can reduce the pain and stiffness of arthritis. Cold packs numb the sore area and reduce inflammation and swelling. Cold is especially good for joint pain caused by a flare. Heat relaxes your muscles and stimulates blood circulation. We always say, “Heat before, ice afterwards.”
Usually applied directly to the painful joint, heat may be more useful for chronic pain or for “warming up” before exercising. Cold packs may provide relief from acute pain or for after exercising.
Massage
Massage can help soothe arthritis pain, improve joint function, and ease stress and anxiety. It brings warmth and relaxation to the painful area. You can massage your own muscles, or you can go to a massage therapist.
Yoga
Yoga can be used as a way to exercise gently, as well as to reduce tension and improve joint flexibility. Yoga also can help a person with arthritis build muscle strength and improve balance. You can find many programs on You Tube or even find some yoga classes at the gym or local library
Move To Mobility Series 2: Maintaining An Active Lifestyle in Spite of Bone and Joint Pain
Move To Mobility Series 2: Maintaining An Active Lifestyle in Spite of Bone and Joint Pain
Tai Chi
An ancient martial art originating from China, Tai Chi is a gentle, meditative form of exercise that has been shown to reduce chronic pain, improve balance, and help prevent fractures in patients with osteopenia/osteoporosis.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture, the practice of inserting fine needles into the body along special points, has been shown to control pain. The needles may stimulate nerves to block pain signals.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback uses sensitive equipment to help you become more aware of your body’s reaction to stress and pain. If you practice relaxation while using biofeedback, you can learn to control some of your body’s responses to pain. Ultrasound uses high-energy sound waves to bring comfort to painful joints and muscles.
Relaxation Therapy
Intense levels of pain and stress can exacerbate your pain. Relaxation therapy can help you manage the physical pain as well as emotional tension.
Stressful situations cause an increased perception of pain. Without proper management of stress, your OA pain perception can worsen. Using body-mind strategies will help to encourage you to be active in your pain management.
Stressful situations cause an increased perception of pain. Without proper management of stress, your OA pain perception can worsen. Using body-mind strategies will help to encourage you to be active in your pain management.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
- Sit comfortably, with your knees bent and your shoulders, head and neck relaxed.
- Place one hand on your upper chest and the other just below your rib cage.
- Breathe in slowly through your nose so that your stomach moves out against your hand. The hand on your chest should remain as still as possible.
- Tighten your stomach muscles, letting them fall inward as you exhale through pursed lips. The hand on your upper chest must remain as still as possible.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- While inhaling, contract one muscle group (for example your upper thighs) for 5 seconds to 10 seconds, then exhale and suddenly release the tension in that muscle group.
- Give yourself 10 seconds to 20 seconds to relax, and then move on to the next muscle group (for example your buttocks).
- While releasing the tension, try to focus on the changes you feel when the muscle group is relaxed. Imagery may be helpful in conjunction with the release of tension, such as imagining that stressful feelings are flowing out of your body as you relax each muscle group.
- Gradually work your way up the body contracting and relaxing muscle groups. Start with your hands, arms, upper body, and then lower body.
Meditation
Headspace - through meditation, we can build up areas of our brain and actually rewire it to enhance positive traits like focus and decision making and diminish the less positive ones like fear and stress.
CALM - Daily meditation options to help keep you centered and focused. This will help decrease anxiety you may have related to surgery or pain. The CALM app also has a series of “Sleep Stories” that can help you relax and fall asleep.
Dr. DiGioia Discusses Pain (Videos)
Paying Attention to Pain
Dealing with Arthritis Pain
