Non-drug treatments for chronic pain
Exercise:
Light to moderate exercise may help improve blood and oxygen
flow to muscles and reduce stress.
Heat and/or cold application:
Applying heat and/or cold regularly to a sore area via a
safe mechanism (such as hot or cold packs that have temperature limits
built in to prevent burning or freezing skin) can be very effective for
treating many types of pain.
Acupuncture:
Acupuncture done by a trained
therapist can provide relief for all types of chronic pain.
Massage:
Massage therapy has been shown to be effective for muscle and
mechanical pain and may be useful for other kinds of chronic pain as well.
Spinal cord stimulation:
Electrodes are placed inside the epidural part of the spinal
cord. The patient can send electrical pulses to the spinal cord using an
implanted electrical
pulse generator
Deep brain stimulation:
This technique is only used to treat chronic pain in cases that
do not respond to more conservative treatment. It requires surgical stimulation
of areas of the brain, usually the motor cortex or thalamus.
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