Studies have shown that millions of Americans deal with chronic pain daily. If you're one of those people, it's likely you may not know the source of your pain, as many people don't.
While tracing the source of your pain may be difficult, it can be made easier by visiting a medical professional, such as Bomberg Chiropractic. Using our years of experience and medical certifications, we can help you trace the source of your ailments, treat them, and create a plan to strengthen your weakened areas to increase your quality of life.
There are many alternatives to prescription medications for managing chronic pain.
What Conditions Cause Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain can range from mild to debilitating and wears on a person physically and mentally over time. There are a variety of conditions that can cause chronic pain, including multiple sclerosis, migraines, arthritis, osteoarthritis, neuropathy, and more.
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis has many different symptoms, and the most common include dizziness, visual changes, tremors, tingling or weakness, muscle spasms, or stiffness.
Migraines
Migraines have multiple symptoms and stages. Food cravings, mood swings, and constipation can be a precursor, and individuals may experience changes in vision, pain that radiates to the jaw, sensitivity to light and sounds, eye pain, and weakness or mood swings.
Arthritis & Osteoarthritis
Arthritis is a common ailment for millions of people and can affect any joint; the symptoms will develop slowly and worsen as time progresses. Loss of flexibility, stiffness, pain, and swelling are just a few common symptoms to be aware of.
Neuropathy
Neuropathy is also known as nerve pain, and common signs include weakness, cramping, bone degeneration, changes in the hair, skin, and nails, and pain.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia can affect the entire body, and, most commonly, people will experience fatigue, sleep issues, brain fog, and a constant dull body pain that can last for more than three hours.
Spinal Damage
Spinal issues generally happen after an accident and can result in problems with walking, loss of bowel and bladder control, headaches, back pain, neck stiffness, and general weakness.
Lyme Disease
Lyme disease comes from tick bites, and often, the symptoms are similar to the flu, with headache, chills, rashes, and fatigue. Late-stage symptoms can result in short-term memory loss, appendage numbness, and arthritis.
Why a Chronic Pain Diagnosis Is Critical
Your symptoms may be caused by any of the above conditions, or they may be caused by something completely unrelated. Only a medical diagnosis can answer that for you.
In addition to chronic pain, you may experience deep aching in your muscles and joints and potential trigger-point tension, depression, anxiety, isolation, and other problems. While you can solve some symptoms with painkillers and other prescription drugs, you could risk addiction.
Our team can help you resolve your pain with alternative methods instead of medication.
How Can Lifestyle Factors Play a Role?
Lifestyle factors will play a key role in your health, and there are four common culprits directly related to back pain – one of the most common types of chronic pain.
Overuse of Your Phone
The truth is most people are on their phones far too much, and because it's common to look downward, extra pressure is put on your upper back and neck muscles.
Maintaining a good posture, taking breaks from the phone, having your device at eye level, and staying on top of routine chiropractic care can help.
Remaining Stationary
Most jobs require long hours in stationary positions, and while you may not be able to combat this at work, once you get home, it's important to stimulate your core muscles with movement.
Opting for a standing desk, ergonomic seat, or simply getting up and moving around during your work day can help reduce some of the strain.
Being Overweight
While a few pounds won't make that much difference, however, when there is excess gain, especially around your middle, it stresses the spine and muscles in the lower and mid back, affecting your entire frame.
Having healthier eating habits and more movement can counteract some of this, so schedule movement and healthy food choices in your day.
Masking the Issue
Back pain is uncomfortable, but trying to mask it will not make it disappear. Over-the-counter pain medication can decrease some discomfort, but it just brings temporary relief.
Healthy lifestyle choices and regular wellness care with a chiropractor can help reduce the risk of long-term issues and increase mobility and posture.
Managing Your Pain Safely
Though you may not think about it, oftentimes, you have a strong mental reaction in addition to a strong physical reaction. If you are struggling with your mental state while dealing with chronic pain, we recommend seeing a psychologist or attending psychotherapy.
While you may not think either of these options is for you, they can help you in profound ways. Therapy and psychotherapy teach you how to deal with emotions and pain and teach you coping mechanisms. Additionally, therapy helps you better understand yourself, your needs, what you value most, and more.
Stress and chronic pain are also linked. Putting yourself in a stressful environment that is not conducive to your mental state can further add to your struggles. If you are having difficulties dealing with the stress that comes with chronic pain, you may want to consider looking for ways to improve your environment.
Here are different ways we suggest changing up your home environment.
Declutter
Clutter is often the cause of much of our stress at home. By simply decluttering your home, you can clear your mind, which makes it easier to focus and think and reduces stress.
Rearrange
Some people find that rearranging a familiar space helps them relieve stress. It presents a new, unknown view, which can help your mindset.
Create Meditation Space
We often recommend meditation to help our clients relax and reduce their stress levels. Creating a space designated for meditation is a great way to improve your health.
Purchase Plants
Purchasing oxygen-rich plants also improves the air within your home, which can, in turn, help you reach your health goals.
Spend Time With People, Not Technology
You would be surprised at how technology can negatively affect your mindset. By surrounding yourself with people you love instead of seeking approval from people behind a screen, you can clear your mind.
Keep Up on Emotional Care
One thing many people don't anticipate is the shock of chronic pain-related diagnoses. In fact, some psychologists liken patients' reactions to that of the seven stages of grief. Because of this, many people opt to enter psychotherapy to cope with these difficult feelings.
Psychotherapy allows people to talk about their issues to a neutral counselor who can also provide techniques and healthy coping mechanisms that make it easier to find a workable solution. People who attend therapy better understand themselves, allowing them to better recognize their goals, needs, and values.
Create a Relaxation Space
Another strategy for dealing with the mental and emotional struggles that come with a chronic pain diagnosis is creating a comfortable environment at home where you can escape the triggers the world presents.
Stress and pain are intrinsically connected, so a healthy, peaceful home environment can provide a respite. Here is some advice on creating a healthy home with less stress.
Additional Chronic Pain Management Tools
In addition to the chronic pain management methods we listed above, some additional methods may help alleviate your pain.
Here are some of the other methods we recommend!
Chiropractic Therapy
Techniques such as spinal manipulation may help with chronic pain in certain patients.
Acupuncture
A Chinese medicinal practice involves stimulating specific points on the body, often with needles, for treating chronic pain.
Hypnoanalgesia
Uses hypnotic suggestions to relieve pain, though it doesn't work for everybody.
Massage Therapy
It can be an effective treatment for chronic pain, especially for those suffering from fibromyalgia or arthritis.
Heat Therapy
It has been proven effective for dealing with cramping and chronic pain.
Exercise & Nutrition
A healthy lifestyle with moderate exercise supported by a balanced diet and healthy sleep patterns reduces inflammation in the body, which reduces pain.
Though the solutions we have listed out may help solve your chronic pain problems, there also may be a deeper underlying issue that needs to be identified. At Bomberg Chiropractic, we will schedule an initial consultation to analyze areas causing you pain before creating a treatment plan.
No matter what may be causing your chronic pain, we are committed to finding the source and treating it so you can have a better quality of life and get back to the things you enjoy most.
Contact Bomberg Chiropractic in Plymouth, MN
If you are in the Twin Cities area and looking for an expert team to help you alleviate your chronic pain, contact Bomberg Chiropractic today. We will help you trace the source of your pain and work to find a solution that works for you. We primarily treat neck, shoulder, and back pain, but we can help you with other chronic pain issues, as well.
To learn more about our services or to schedule a consultation, give us a call at 763-450-1755 or message us on our contact page today.