living with chronic pain Archives - Minnesota Physical Medicine Blog

Chronic pain conditions can leave you feeling like you’re in a daily battle with your body, and that can make it hard for you to live life to the fullest. When it comes to not only surviving, but thriving if you have chronic pain, you really need to focus on certain aspects of your health and daily life. Below, we share five ways to help you thrive in your life even though you’re battling chronic pain.

Living Your Best Life With Chronic Pain

There’s no perfect solution for treating chronic pain because everyone’s pain is different and what works for one person may not work for another. However, if you really want to work to take back control of your life from your daily pain, consider these tips. Many patients have found that a combination of these changes and ideas can help them work towards living their best life in spite of their chronic pain.

1. Daily Exercise – We know that movement can be painful if you have chronic pain, and your pain condition can make it difficult to find the will to be active, but exercise is one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental health. Not only does it help to target painful structures and strengthen muscles, but it can also help release endorphins that mask pain and leave you in a happier mindset. If traditional exercise like running or gym work is too painful, consider less intense exercise like swimming or cycling.

2. One Thing Each Day – Find a way to take one tangible step towards reducing your pain each and every day. Maybe that’s in the form of exercise or doing your physical therapy routine, but try to do at least one thing each day that you can point to and say “this helped with some aspect of my chronic pain.” If you do this daily, odds are you’ll find yourself in more control over your pain.

3. Active Activities – Staying active is another great way to live your best life when you have chronic pain. Obviously this is easier said than done, and by activity, we don’t just mean exercise or physical exertion. Find an activity that helps to take your mind off your pain. You don’t need to break a sweat in order to find new ways to turn your attention to something other than your pain. Dive into a puzzle, go for a walk with a friend or try your hand at yoga. Anything that pulls your attention way from your pain will help you live life to the fullest. Find what works for you.

4. Connect With A Physician – You shouldn’t try to tackle your chronic pain on your own. Sync up with a pain management specialist in your area to get a comprehensive diagnosis and individualized treatment. Knowing that you have a professional in your corner who is working to help treat your pain can positively affect your mental health, and that can go a long way in helping you thrive in spite of chronic pain.

5. Don’t Ignore Your Mental Health – Chronic pain is often viewed as a physical problem, but it also impacts our mental health. If we solely focus on the physical aspect of chronic pain, we may be ignoring an even bigger mental health issue. Chronic pain can increase your risk of depression, anxiety and other cognitive issues, and failing to recognize and treat these conditions alongside your pain can inhibit treatment success. Make sure you trust your care to a specialist who is willing to treat all parts of your chronic pain issue.

For help with your pain journey, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today.

Tips For Managing Pain

Whether you’re dealing with chronic regional pain syndrome, asymptomatic back pain or irregular headaches, here are some tips to keep in mind to help pain management become less burdensome.

1. Active Distractions – If you can distract your mind from your pain, all while working to rid yourself of chronic pain, you’re winning the battle. Things like Netflix or a bowl of chocolate ice cream can help take your mind off the pain, but they won’t actively help you strengthen your body and keep symptoms at bay. Try to find activities that are somewhat physical in nature that don’t feel like exercise or therapy. Activities like swimming, Tai Chi, cycling, walking, or yoga can all help strengthen key muscle groups and keep your mind off your pain without feeling like a regular exercise routine.

2. Vent – It can be healthy to vent about your pain once in a while, but don’t dwell on it. Most patients with chronic pain try to hide their pain from everyone because they don’t want to be seen as weak or “complainers,” but it’s perfectly healthy to express frustration with your pain. Whether it’s just yelling out loud for five seconds each day or blogging about your pain on a message board, these channels allow us to speak out about pain when so often we remain silent. Find what works for you.

3. Professional Help – Pain management physicians are trained in helping people who are battling complex pain problems, so reach out to one if you have questions or concerns about your pain. Odds are we’ve heard the question before, or we can think it over and give you some healthy advice. It doesn’t need to directly relate to your pain, either. You can ask about different therapy techniques or support groups in the area, and we’ll do our best to help give you some professional guidance.

4. Small Victories – Fighting the daily battle against chronic pain can feel like an uphill battle where for every two steps you take forward, you find yourself taking one or more steps backwards. This will be undoubtedly frustrating, but try not to dwell on the bad and instead focus on what you’ve accomplished and the progress you’ve made. Maybe your chronic back pain was so painful that you couldn’t go for a run like you planned, but instead you bucked up and did 20 minutes of therapy stretches. Don’t focus on the missed run – focus on the therapy you did to kick your pain’s butt! Enjoy the small victories as they come along.