pain management

6 Comments Posted on September 6, 2013November 6, 2016 Patient Talk

Exercise for people with chronic pain.

Exercise if good for you! Well yes we all know that but how do you take exercise when you suffer from chronic pain? This blog will give you a few tips and pointers on how to get fitter and not increase your pain at the same time.

Exercise promotes general good health as well as weight loss which are important for people suffering from chronic medical conditions.

The key principle to keep in mind is that you want your activity to be “low impact”. This means that it will not harm your joints. This is vitally important for people with arthritis, fibromyalgia and osteoporosis. It also means that you are less likely to suffer from an ankle sprain or cartilage tear.

So what are some good types of low impact exercise which can be easily carried out by people who suffer from chronic or acute pain? Well here are a few:-

a) Walking. Pretty obvious and easy. All you need to do ii to step out of your front door. Oh yes and you don’t have to spend all that money of gym fees. Doctors often recommend a 20 minute walking session 5-6 times a week.

b) Yoga. This ancient Indian system of exercise is great for core strength and helps improve balance. It is often used by people with multiple sclerosis. We recently discussed this in a blog which you can read here https://patienttalk.org/?p=571

c) Cycling. Becoming more popular each year cycling is a great way to get fit and to do a bit of two wheeled sightseeing. You might think about cycling to work. A helmet is very much recommended especially if you live in London! See https://patienttalk.org/?p=109 for more information.

d) Pilates. Developed in the early years of the last century Pilates is great for back pain as it helps strengthen the spine as well as improve muscle strength.

e) Swimming. This low impact sport is great for both people with mobility issues and for those who suffer from obesity. You might also want to consider water aerobics.

f) Gardening. A bit of relaxed gardening is great way of dealing with stress and taking exercise at the same time.

It is worth mentioning that you should speak with a healthcare professional before embarking on any type of exercise regime.

Finally – what have we missed out? Please do use the comments box below to share with your fellow readers the kinds of exercise which have worked for you. Any links would be great as well.

Thanks in advance!

1 Comment Posted on September 5, 2013February 28, 2014 Patient Talk

Natural Treatments for Arthritis

It has been estimated that more than 50% of people with arthritis have tried some kind of natural or alternative treatment for the condition.

There are over 100 different types of arthritis including fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and gout. Each of them affects the body in different ways.

The objective of this blog is to have a look at some of the alternative treatments for arthritis and to get feedback from our readers as to how effective these natural therapies are. We can only cover some of the treatments in a blog post like this so it would be great if you use the comments box below to add any suggestions you might have for alternative therapies for arthritis. and to share your experiences of how effective they are.

So here goes:-

a) Diet as a way of treating arthritis pain. For more information please have a look at our previous blog on the subject https://patienttalk.org/?p=507

b) Similarly diet can help with inflammation. Check out our other blog on the subject here https://patienttalk.org/?p=468

c) Yoga and similar exercises such as Tai Chi. Exercise is important for people with any kind of arthritis. Low impact exercise like this helps improve both balance and muscle strength.

d) Acupuncture seems for some to be a way of dealing with the pain.

e) Supplements are available but please check with your doctor before using them as they might have an effect on the conventional medications you use. These supplements can include Chondroitin sulphate and Glucosamine sulphate.

f) Famously it has been thought that wearing a copper bracelet can help with some of the arthritic symptoms.

As we said before it would be great if you could tell us your arthritis story below. Please add any links you think may be of use to other readers. What have you tried and how did it work for you? You may wish to consider some of the following questions when you make your comments:-

1) What kind of arthritis do you have and how long have you had it?

2) What conventional treatments have you used and how effective were they?

3) Have you used natural treatments and how well did they work?

4) What was the reaction of your healthcare providers to your use of natural remedies?

Thanks very much in advance.

17 Comments Posted on September 2, 2013February 14, 2017 Patient Talk

Chronic pain! How do you explain chronic pain to your family and friends?

Pain

Chronic pain! Chronic pain exists for millions of reasons and changes lives in thousands of ways. Having been involved in healthcare research for many years talking to people who live each day with chronic pain we have realised that one of the really big issues is being able to explain what it is like to family and friends.

Chronic pain can come from a wide range of different medical conditions including multiple sclerosis, diabetes and arthritis. You may find some of our previous blogs on chronic pain and pain management of interest. Please have a look at them here at https://patienttalk.org/?tag=pain-management.

People with chronic pain describe their struggles in many different ways. “My family think I’m lazy because I can’t move” and “I cry when no one else can see”. Many hate the side effects of the medications such as drowsiness. Countless people with chronic pain never seem to get a decent night`s sleep which limits what they can achieve each day. For many being understood by others is a daily struggle!

The aim of this blog is to provide a space for our readers to share their experiences of trying to explain life with chronic pain to their families and friends.. Anything you wish to share with fellow readers would be of immense value. However you may wish to consider some of the following questions:

What is the primary medical condition behind your chronic pain?
What are your main symptoms of chronic pain? How long have you been suffering from chronic pain?
How did friends and loved ones initially react to your pain?
How did you try to explain life with chronic pain to them?
Do you feel today they understand you and your life with pain?
If you had to give one piece of advice for somebody who has just started their chronic pain journey what would it be?

Please feel free to use the comments box below to add anything you feel maybe of interest to our readers. This could include links to your blogs or web sites which have helped you in the past.

Many thanks in advance.

8 Comments Posted on June 6, 2013October 12, 2017 Pain Management, Patient Talk

Foods that can fight pain – How your diet can help with pain!

We all know that a healthy diet is important for over all wellness. But did you know using certain foods can have a real impact on your pain levels? A healthy diet may therefore be a great way of supplementing your medications as a way of managing your pain.

So what should you include? We thought that we would research the matter and give you a list of ten great food stuffs which are not just healthy but a great weapon in the war against pain.

1) Cherries seem to be the number one in many nutritionists’ lists. Cherries contain a chemical called anthocyanin which can reduce both pain and inflammation. Tart cherry is particularly recommended. Tart cherry extract is also recommended as the best way of using cherries.

2) Turmeric is also great for pain. Find out other reasons to use turmeric in your cooking in our blog exclusively about this wonder spice – https://patienttalk.org/?p=260

3) Walnuts. Both fresh walnuts and walnut oils are rich in omega oils which help fight pain.

4) Salmon and other oily fish. For the same reasons.

5) Ginger. Turns out that ginger may have similar properties to ibuprofen. You can use ginger tea as well.

6) Yogurt. A great way off fighting the pain caused by irritable bowel syndrome. This is because of the bacteria contained in live yogurt.

7) Coffee. Good news for must espresso fans. Dilated blood vessels can cause headaches which in turn can be narrowed by caffeine. It may also amplify the effects of other pain medications.

8) Chilli peppers. Capsaicin (the active ingredient) simulates our nerve endings and this helps to stop some of the chemicals which cause pain.

9) Green tea. Green tea helps reduce pain by being an anti-inflammatory!

10) Wine. This is great news at least for me. The resveratrol in wine (and in fact in grapes) operates in a way not dissimilar to aspirin. Hooray!

So all in all pretty good because we don’t need to go the path of “worthy food” to alleviate pain through diet.

Now it’s over to you. Can you help at all? Do you have any recipes which you think may be great ways of using food to fight pain? Have you tried an anti-pain diet? How did it work? Do you have any recommendations for foods which can be part of our reader’s pain management practice?

jevemor104	MarieDobbsBrasseit make sure when you buy the turmeric capsules, that they are selling you the cucumin (sp) capsule, which is the part of turmeric that actually helps with pain. Plain turmeric won’t do much. Hope that helps
LisaFinnell	Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame cause increased pain if used regularly, so limit this or remove altogether. Apple cider vinegar is extremely helpful for arthritis pain
VioletJet	Interesting. I’ll have to investigate if any of these have adverse reactions for people on (blood thinners). Will be trying the ones that don’t interfere.
mtemmthompson29	I love and eat all of these things on a regular basis I did not realise they would help my pain
IzzyW	Blueberries. Also I find dried cherries really helpful.

AnneHanessian	I’ve heard from a reputable source (Ph.D. In biochemistry…) that Chamomile tea (“fresh leaves”) have anti inflammatory properties.
MarieDobbsBrasseit	Okay, wine is out cause I’m on too many maedicatiins (not just pain meds)…..i bought Turmeric Capsules and Ginger and Milk Thistle for liver cleansing. Can’t tell a difference yet, but I’m trying! Thanks for the article! Very informative

15 Comments Posted on May 22, 2013October 15, 2013 Patient Talk

Treating Arthritis Pain – what is the best way of managing arthritic pain?

Joint Pain Management – Arthritis

One of the biggest challenges with any chronic medical condition is the issue of managing pain. For people with any type of arthritis this is especially important.

The objective of this arthritis blog is to encourage our readers to share their experiences of pain management. What works? What doesn’t?

Indeed the blog is part of an on-going series of blogs on pain management. To check out the previous blog posts please go to https://patienttalk.org/?tag=pain-management. There are some fantastic tips and ideas from our readers in the previous posts.

It is worth mentioning that arthritis is a term used to cover a wide range of different conditions. These can include osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and gout among around 100 different illnesses.

A very basic definition of arthritis would be that it is a joint disorder which involves inflammation of the joints. This causes both pain and in some cases physical disability.

Typical treatments come in three main types:-

a) Physical and occupational therapy

b) Medications such as pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs

c) Join replacement surgery.

As we said the objective of this blog is to find out a bit more about how you have treated your arthritic pain. It would be great if you could share your experiences with other readers of this arthritis blog. You may find the following questions useful in framing your response:-

a) What kind of arthritis do you have? How long ago were you diagnosed?

b) How would you describe the pain from your arthritis? How does the pain affect your lifestyle?

c) What treatments for your pain did you receiver? How effective have these arthritis treatment been?

d) Do you have any advice for other people with arthritis?

e) Have you ever used alternative medicine to treat you arthritic pain?

Please use the comments box below to tell your story. Feel free to add any links you think may be on interest to other readers.

Thanks in advance