How to Manage Chronic Pain: A Complete Guide

Just about everyone feels pain from time to time. This is Acute pain that only lasts a moment and is something we've chosen to ignore or fight through in our busy modern lifestyles. However, it can sometimes become chronic pain which persists for long periods. Chronic pain is resistant to medical treatments and hence causes huge problems for its victims.

When suffering an injury, the pain can only be felt until the wound heals but chronic pain is different as it can persist for weeks, months or even years after the injury and has a deep impact on the victim’s day to day life as well as mental health. The pain can be managed in a variety of ways, depending on what the condition of the victim is.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
A condition which causes this chronic pain common among people that have suffered major injuries is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). CRPS is a poorly understood condition where a person can experience persistent debilitating pain. There are no known causes for CRPS, and though injuries trigger most cases of CRPS, the resulting pain is much more severe and long-lasting than it should be. With affected areas becoming so sensitive that the slightest touch or change in temperature can cause intense pain. Affected areas may also become swollen and undergo abnormal changes in color or temperature.

CRPS pain management
Of course, managing and reducing the pain in a condition like this is of the utmost importance, and you can do so with many medicines. Your practitioner will start you off with a lower dosage but will prescribe you stronger painkillers if necessary. Natural medicines for CRPS pain management are:

•Non-Steroidal and anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs):
Over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen are NSAIDs and are the first to be used for pain management. They help reduce CRPS-associated pain and the pain from the injury itself but can't directly affect CRPS pain. For example, It can reduce shoulder muscle pain when CRPS is in the arm.

•Anticonvulsants:
Anticonvulsants are useful for treating nerve pain with Gabapentin and pregabalin being the most common medicines. Their effectiveness comes with the variety of side-effects they are known to have. Side-effects include drowsiness, dizziness, and weight gain.

•Tricyclic Antidepressants(TSAs):
TCAs are also effective for treating nerve pain, and the most widely used TCAs include Amitriptyline and nortriptyline. These medicines can often improve sleep and are usually taken early in the evening to avoid hangover effects the next morning. Possible side effects are Dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, and difficulty in urinating.

•Opioids:
Using opioids are the most effective yet the most dangerous form of CRPS pain management. This is why they are only prescribed when the person is experiencing severe pain. Common opioids include codeine and morphine and can cause the following side-effects: Nausea and vomiting, Constipation, Tiredness, Dry mouth, and cognitive problems. Addiction to opioids is still rare, but you can become dependent on them, and long-term use can have a drastic effect on a person's psyche.

Infusion for pain relief

Using Infusion for pain relief is a well-known and researched way for victims of CRPS (formerly known as Regional Sympathetic Dystrophy or RSD) looking for a long-lasting and highly effective way that didn’t involve regularly taking pain medication.
There are many ways to use Infusion for pain relief utilizing different types of infusions like Ketamine, Immunoglobulins, and stem cells.

•Ketamine:
Ketamine is a potent anesthetic that blocks pain by acting as an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NDMA) receptor antagonist. It can also reset glia nerve cells in the spine and brain. However, Ketamine is not appropriate for everyone and should only be used if advised by your doctor.

•Immunoglobulins:
Intravenous Immunoglobulin or IVIg is used to treat autoimmune and infectious diseases. With many people using it for CRPS, it has been noticed that it takes some time for the effects to be visible for most people. It is also ineffective for some people and considering that it is an expensive procedure with no guarantee for success, it’s not for everyone.

•Stem cells:
Stem cell research if mastered could completely change the current industry's reliance on opioids and other analgesics. Stem cell infusion for pain relief isn't unpopular, and even now, stem cells infusions are known for providing quick and complete recovery when it works. However, it is important to note that it may not work equally well on kinds of chronic pain and also depends on patient to patient. They could also be used as a tool to reverse opioid tolerance and opioid-induced hyperalgesia, two problematic and common side effects of opioid therapy.