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Steps for Dealing with Chronic Pain
Making the journey from patient to person takes time. The isolation and fear that can overwhelm a person with chronic pain grows over time. And the return to a fuller, more rewarding life also takes time.
STEP 1: Accept the pain
Learn all you can about your physical condition. Understand that there may be no current cure and accept that you will need to deal with the fact of pain in your life.
STEP 2: Get involved
Take an active role in your own recovery. Follow your doctor’s advice and ask what you can do to move from a passive role into one of partnership in your own health care.
STEP 3: Learn to set priorities
Look beyond your pain to the things that are important in your life. List the things that you would like to do. Setting priorities can help you find a starting point to lead you back into a more active life.
STEP 4: Set realistic goals
We all walk before we run. Set goals that are within your power to accomplish or break a larger goal down into manageable steps. Take time to enjoy your successes.
STEP 5: Know your basic rights
We all have basic rights. Among these are the rights to be treated with respect, to say no without guilt, to do less than humanly possible, to make mistakes, and to not need to justify your decisions.
STEP 6: Recognize emotions
Our bodies and minds are one. Emotions directly affect physical well being. By acknowledging and dealing with you feeling, you can reduce stress and decrease the pain you feel.
STEP 7: Learn to relax
Pain increases in times of stress. Relaxation exercises are one way of reclaiming control of your body. Deep breathing, visualization, and other relaxation techniques can help you to better manage the pain you live with.
STEP 8: Exercise
Most people with chronic pain fear exercise. But unused muscles feel more pain than toned flexible ones. With your doctor, identify a modest exercise program that you can do safely. As you build strength, your pain can decrease. You’ll feel better about yourself, too.
STEP 9: See the total picture
As you learn to set priorities, reach goals, assert your basic rights, deal with your feeling, relax, and regain control of your body, you will see tha pain does not need to be the center of your life. You can choose to focus on your abilities, not your disabilities. You will grow stronger in our belief that you can live a normal life in spite of chronic pain.
STEP 10: Reach out
It is estimated that one person in three suffers with some form of chronic pain. Once you have begun to find ways to manage your chronic pain problem reach out and share what you know. Living with chronic pain is an ongoing learning experience. We all support and learn from each other.
Posture to prevent pain
The way you stand, sit, and sleep can have an impact on your spine. Proper posture won’t correct every problem but it will help alleviate or reduce some back pain.
Sitting
Desk jobs keep people in their seats much of the day. Sitting may not cause the kind of back problems associated with heavy lifting, but sitting incorrectly may put stress on your lower back.
Tips:
- Select a chair that provides appropriate back support.
- Slide to the back of your chair so that your back is supported.
- Sit with head, back, and neck straight.
- Place feet flat on the foot.
Standing
Slumping shoulders and a rounded position to the upper back causes the spine to curve improperly.
Tips:
- To stand properly, position yourself against a wall and make sure the lower back is against the wall.
- Maintaining this position should help to reduce much back pain.
- Exercise to strengthen the back muscles which help maintain this proper posture.
Sleeping
Standing and sitting account for only a part of your day. An estimated 22 years of the average person’s life is spent sleeping. Sleeping in positions that cause strain to the back can also contribute to the back pain.
Tips:
- Sleeping on the back or the stomach can cause improper positioning of the spine. Avoid these nighttime positions.
- If you do sleep on your back, use a pillow to support your head and knees.
- As far as your spine is concerned, the ideal sleep position is on your side with the knees slightly bent. Use a pillow. Attempt to keep your back straight.
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