One of the worst emotions pain patients can feel is helplessness. In the face of severe pain, when the medications don’t work, don’t do enough, or cause intolerable side effects, patients can feel helpless to ease their suffering. And helplessness leads to hopelessness and fear, which creates more pain. The good news is that you are not helpless. You can do more to ease your pain than any doctor or pharmaceutical can do for you. What you do every moment of every day in terms of rest, movement, diet, thoughts and more affects your pain levels in many ways. In addition, there are many tools available that can be used safely and effectively for  chronic pain relief, whether you have back pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia, neuropathy, migraines, CRPS, arthritis or any other pain condition.

What follows is a list of strategies and tools that can be used at home that are helpful for managing and even eliminating pain.

Rest

This may sound so obvious that it is not even worth mentioning. However, often we push ourselves beyond endurance just to get things done or we get a good day and decide to do everything at once while we’re feeling good. This makes pain worse later. Pace yourself and take a break when you get tired.

Move

Pain increases when you stay in the same position and don’t use your muscles. Muscles get stiff and weak. If you have trigger points, which are small round nodules within tight bands of muscle that form after muscle injuries, they cause pain with inactivity. When you exercise, your body produces natural painkillers, including the opioid endorphin, and the same pain-relieving cannabinoids that are found in marijuana. Exercise has also been shown to decrease inflammation, improve mood and lubricate joints. Do slow movements and stretches throughout the day. Do moderate exercise such as walking or swimming frequently if possible. A physical therapist can help you design a home exercise program that’s right for you.

Relax  

Stress and fear, including fear about the pain, cause muscle tension, reduction in blood flow to the extremities, suppression of digestion, suppression of immunity and many other physiological changes that create more pain. Reducing muscle tension is particularly helpful for back and neck pain treatment. Chronic stress increases inflammation by depleting our body’s supply of natural cortisol, an anti-inflammatory. Use of relaxation exercises, including meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, visualization, and body scanning, can induce relaxation, decreasing pain. An inexpensive biofeedback device, the Stress Thermometer, measures your hand temperature, which is an indicator of how stressed you are. It’s great for helping you learn to better recognize when you are stressed, as well as to determine how well your relaxation exercises are working. As a result, it helps you master the techniques and increases motivation to keep doing them.

Resolve your trauma and emotional distress with energy psychology techniques

 Studies have shown that psychological trauma, especially chronic childhood trauma, predisposes people to chronic illness. So does chronic stress. One type of easily learned and applied technique that can process the undischarged energy from past or current duress is called energy psychology. It may sound weird but it’s a powerful trauma treatment. The technique can also be used by just focusing on your pain in order to reduce it. I’ve created a short video that shows you how to do one variation of the technique that you can watch here. If you would like some professional help with energy psychology techniques, check out these providers on our website, many of whom are now offering telehealth services.

Clean up your diet

Many food additives, including MSG and aspartame (Nutrasweet), increase pain for many people. Eliminating processed foods in general is a good idea. Some find eliminating gluten from their diets reduces or eliminates pain and inflammation. Sugar and red meat can also increase inflammation, while fruits and vegetables and healthy fats can reduce it.

Get More Vitamin D 

Vitamin D deficiency is very common, affecting 42% of Americans. It's a critical nutrient for preventing many disorders, including widespread chronic pain and joint pain. A recent study also found that COVID-19 patients who are vitamin D deficient are 10 times as likely to die of COVID-19 than those with sufficient vitamin D levels. The best way to get more vitamin D is to spend more time in the sun without sunscreen, but dark-skinned people and the elderly make less vitamin D on sun exposure. Also, getting sun exposure on bare skin is not possible in cooler weather. Most could benefit from vitamin D3 supplementation of 2000-10,000 IUs daily.

Raise Your Magnesium Levels

 Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant. It’s also needed for vitamin D absorption. Most Americans are deficient in magnesium and supplementation can be very helpful, especially for musculoskeletal pain treatment. However, magnesium is a laxative so taking a lot orally can cause problems. Epsom salt baths are very soothing and because they contain magnesium, can get magnesium into the muscles by absorption while bypassing the gastrointestinal tract. There are also topical preparations like lotions and oils containing magnesium that can be easily applied to the skin. One I like is Asutra Magnesium Oil Spray.

Self-massage

Most pain is generated by muscles, even in so-called disc disease and arthritic conditions. Inexpensive vibrating massagers like the WAHL Deep Tissue Percussion Massager can be lifesavers. The "Cadillac" of massagers, the MyoBuddy, is considerably more expensive but gives an even deeper and more therapeutic massage. Self Massage tools that allow you to put pressure on a painful part of the muscle can stop spasms and passively stretch the muscle to reduce pain. For some bodily locations, a tennis ball can be readily used for this purpose. The CranioCradle is great for easing pain in the neck and back. Another tool I like is the SKLZ Dual Point Massager. I keep one close by on my desk chair and one in the driver’s seat of my car. You can also use your hands to self-massage.

Need to take something for the pain?

For over 35 years I have relied on inexpensive and completely safe homeopathic remedies instead of over the counter and prescription medication. Homeopathies gently stimulate your body’s healing system to relieve symptoms. Try Arnica for muscle soreness, Ruta for inflammation or Hypericum for nerve pain. Other options that pain patients are finding very helpful are kratom, a Southeast Asian herb, and CBD, a derivative of hemp and marijuana.

Topical remedies  

There are many topicals that can be helpful when applied locally to painful areas. These include homeopathic remedies like Arnicare Cream , Topricin and Traumeel, essential oils like Young Living, and topical remedies containing CBD oil. One topical I particularly like that combines CBD and essential oils is GoodFOR Relief gel.

Pulsed electro-magnetic frequencies (PEMF)

PEMF is a recent innovation that reduces pain and speeds up healing. The Oska Pulse is a lightweight, wearable device that uses optimized PEMF to restore the electrical potential cells need to receive nutrients and oxygen, which stimulates cellular regeneration–relieving pain, and activating the body’s natural recovery process.

Light Therapy 

Concentrated light in the red and near infrared spectrum reduces pain and inflammation and speeds healing. You can read more about this remarkable technology here. Devices are becoming much more affordable. One device I really like that combines red and near infrared light with PEMF and vibration is the DNA Vibe Jazz Band. Green light therapy has recently been discovered to help with migraines, which you can read about here. The Allay Green Light Therapy Lamp is a home use device that, with regular exposure, can help reduce migraine frequency and severity.

Microcurrent Therapy

 This is another pain therapy that has become more accessible and affordable in recent years. Different low intensity electrical frequencies have been shown to promote healing of specific disorders, including pain. The Healy is a portable microcurrent device that works with a smartphone and has been FDA cleared for local relief of acute, chronic and arthritis pain and muscle soreness due to overexertion. It also has many wellness applications, including to promote healthy sleep, mental balance and immune support. You can read more about Microcurrent Therapy here.

You don’t ever have to feel helpless. Have as many of these tools in your toolkit at home as possible to get chronic pain relief.

Of course, going to providers can be helpful too. Acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic, massage, physical therapy and more can be very helpful for pain if you can afford it and it’s available in your area. Search our directory for alternative healthcare providers  near you who can help you reduce pain.

Cindy Perlin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, certified biofeedback practitioner, chronic pain survivor, the author of The Truth About Chronic Pain Treatments: The Best and Worst Strategies for Becoming Pain Free and the founder and CEO of the Alternative Pain Treatment Directory. She has been helping her clients in the Albany, NY area reach their health and wellness goals for over 28 years. She also provides virtual pain consults. See her provider profile HERE