Chronic Pain Management in Los Angeles, CA

The successful management of chronic pain often involves a mix of treatments and remedies. As Los Angeles spine surgeons will tell you, no single approach to chronic pain management is going to be right for everyone. There are, however, management strategies that can be effective to some degree for almost anyone dealing with persistent discomfort.

Employing Daily Coping Techniques

Coping techniques to address chronic pain episodes can be as simple as making a conscious effort to re-focus thoughts or preoccupying yourself with hobbies and other productive distractions. Daily chronic pain coping techniques may also include:

  • Meditation
  • Deep muscle relaxation
  • Silent counting

Joining Support Groups

Connecting with others also dealing with chronic pain can provide a source of emotional support that can make coping with such discomfort easier. You may even discover pain management solutions you haven’t tried yet. At the very least, online or in-person support groups allow you to discuss your feelings about your pain with others going through something similar.

Strengthening Muscles

Making an effort to strengthen muscles in the areas where you experience pain may help reduce the intensity of your discomfort. Muscle strengthening can take many forms, with yoga and Pilates considered especially effective for managing back and neck pain. Muscles can also be strengthened with low-impact aerobics, hamstring stretches when appropriate, and water-based activities like swimming.

Making Dietary Changes

In some cases, recurring pain can be managed by making changes to your diet. Foods with essential nutrients and antioxidants that help fight cell-damaging free radicals can protect important internal structures and reduce inflammation affecting joints and muscles. Beneficial dietary choices include:

  • Green leafy vegetables
  • Almonds, walnuts, and other nuts
  • Salmon, mackerel, tuna, and other fatty fish

Enjoying Recuperative Sleep

Productive sleep in the REM stage is essential for natural healing that can affect living tissues throughout your body. Such tissue rejuvenation may provide much-appreciated relief for chronic pain sufferers.

Before adopting any pain management solutions, an attempt should be made to determine a source of your discomfort. With conditions that don’t usually have an easily identifiable cause, such as non-specific lower back pain, chronic pain management will be more of a trial and error process.

For individuals living with chronic pain, reach out to a spine specialist to discuss treatment options. From conservative back treatments to minimally invasive spine surgery, an experienced professional can correctly diagnose the source of your pain and review all possible treatment options.