Reducing Pain without Medication

This week I want to talk about ways that you can try and reduce your pain levels without medication. While some of these will not work for everyone, there is nothing wrong with trying to do what you can. Pain is never fun to live with, so we wanted to give you a couple of options to try the next time you are hurting.
1. Stretch. Stretching may seem like the last thing you want to do if you are in pain, but it really does help a lot of people. If your muscles are sore, it may be because they are tight. Stretching helps to loosen your muscles and releases chemicals in your brain which will help you feel better. Try some gentle stretching the next time you start to feel a bit achy.
2. Shower or Bath. Getting in some water can really help your joints and muscles when you are having a bad day. If you don’t like sinking down into a bath, or can’t for medical reasons, then there is nothing wrong with getting into the shower and spending time with the water coming down onto you. If you want to spend a longer period of time in the shower, you can always try and get a chair that fits and sit there while enjoying the nice warm water as it relaxes you. Maybe try some candles or a diffuser to relax you even further through scent.
3. Nap. Although normally people will tell you to get up and work through whatever pain you are in, the truth is you may not always be able to. Only you know how you feel. If you are in too much pain to get up and move around, then don’t. Take a few hours and lay down in a spot that is comfortable and maybe get a little more sleep. Hopefully you will wake up feeling a lot better.
4. Hydrate. One of the biggest problems that I personally have is not drinking enough water. Staying hydrated can help reduce the pain you feel and means that you can focus on other things that you need to do.
While these four things aren’t cures to your pain, they certainly won’t hurt you to try. Give them a shot and then come into Wirth Chiropractic to see just how much better we can make you feel.