Different Approaches to Treatment

Pain Treatment Options

Pain can be a debilitating condition, but there are ways to keep it under control.

Whether your pain is from arthritis, cancer treatments, fibromyalgia, or an old injury, you need to find a way to get your pain under control. What’s the best approach to do that?

The first step in pain management is scheduling an appointment with your doctor to determine the cause of your pain and learn which pain management approach is often the most effective for it. There are many different pain management options available: You can find the right treatment combination to get the relief you need.

Before you try to treat your pain, it’s important to understand how pain is defined.

Why Do People Experience Pain Differently?

Pain is real and it’s physical — there’s no mistaking that. But pain is measured and specific to one person based on that person’s perception of the pain, and that’s why everyone’s pain is different.

“What the brain perceives is indisputably modifiable by emotions,” notes Scheman.

Pain Management: Treating Mind and Body

Scheman stresses the importance of approaching pain both physically and emotionally and addressing “people as entire human beings.” So while chronic pain medication can be effective and important for pain management for many people, it isn’t the only tool available when it comes to pain treatment, and it shouldn’t be the only tool that’s used.

Medications

“There are a lot of medications that are prescribed for pain,” says Scheman, although she notes that opioids (narcotics) and benzodiazepines may not be the best options.

Types of chronic pain medication used include:

• NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), including ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin
• Anti-seizure medications, which can be effective in treating pain related to nerve damage or injury
• Antidepressants, which can improve sleep and alleviate pain
• Steroids, like dexamethasone and prednisone, to alleviate inflammation and pain