Alleviate Pain and Avoiding Opioid Medication

For those who struggle with chronic pain, everyday activities such as taking care of family, going grocery shopping or even walking can be daunting. Pain can cause you to be uncomfortable, depressed and even hopeless.

Pain can form from multiple factors; some include:

1. Accident or injury
2. Inflammation in the immune system
3. Nerve damage from an illness
4. Medical issues or chronic pain

With debilitating pains, many have found prescription opioid medications to be a solution. “Opioids are fast-acting while treating pain. Once the medication gets into the vascular system, it starts providing relief to patients,” says Nichole Johnson, MD, FACP, CWS-P, Preventive Medicine Physician at Cooper Clinic. While these medications are effective at reducing pain, they are also addictive. In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 105,000 people died from a drug overdose and almost 80,000 involved opioids, a nationwide epidemic that is increasing as people continue to misuse opioids.

In addition to being addictive, opioid medications can cause uncomfortable side effects depending on the person’s sensitivity to the medication. Many experience the following symptoms immediately after starting the treatment:

• Slow breathing
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Drowsiness

Finding the Best Treatment for You

In light of the opioid epidemic, the medical community is expanding its approach to pain management. To begin treatment, Dr. Johnson recommends speaking with your primary care physician and explaining the pain you are feeling. Your physician will help you determine what kind of pain management specialist to see. Here are common forms of pain:

• Neuropathy or Nerve Pain: When you damage your nervous system or it malfunctions, it can cause pain in your spine, brain, hands, feet and other areas of the body.

• Joint Pain from Arthritis: The immune system is attacking your joints which causes swelling and tenderness. Arthritis pain can worsen as you age.

• Myalgia or Muscular Pain: Muscle pain can be caused in numerous ways such as having bad reactions to medication, muscle stress from overuse or traumatic bodily injuries.

• Bone Pain: Bone pain is usually associated with bone fractures, trauma to the bone, injury after a physical accident and cancer related.

A misconception about pain management specialists is they only treat the pain. Dr. Johnson says, “pain management is typically meant to find the underlying cause of the pain, so opioids often act as a mere Band-Aid.” There are cases where opioids cannot be avoided, says Dr. Johnson. Finding the cause helps the physician determine which treatments are available for you and make some recommendations. Below are examples of pain management Dr. Johnson recommends based on the type of pain you may have.

• Oral and Topical Anti-inflammatory Medications: Anti-inflammatory creams help reduce swelling which then decreases pain from inflammatory conditions or injury.

• Anti-Seizure Medications: Those with neuropathic pain or nerve pain are often prescribed anti-seizure medication. The medication helps manage pain by targeting overactive pain signals sent from damaged nerves or overly sensitized nerves. Interfering with the abnormal electrical activity in the brain that causes pain, the medication scan block processes that result in electrical signals and alleviate pain.

• Massage Therapy: Massage is great for those with muscle pain caused by an injury and overuse of the body due to sports, physical activity or work. Massages can also help with inflammation and arthritis pain. Types of massage for pain relief include deep tissue massage, Swedish massage and hot stone massage. In addition, massage enhancements—such as magnesium oil, aromatherapy and percussion therapy—can help with the relaxation of the muscle and decrease pain.

• Anti-Depressants: If the pain is related to a person’s mental health, anti-depressants can help alleviate the pain. While it is not fully understood, anti-depressants are thought to help by acting on chemicals in the brain that assist with pain relief, such as serotonin.

• Exercise: Some autoimmune diseases involving joint pain improve with exercise and pain from fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus responds well to exercise. Learn which types of exercise can ease pain and stiffness from arthritis.

While some of these treatments do not need prescriptions, speak with your pain management specialist or primary health physician to determine the treatments appropriate for your condition. For some, these treatments are not enough. For more extreme cases, some specialists can provide additional procedures to help alleviate pain, such as nerve blocking and steroid injections.

Finding the best pain management treatment is easier while working with a physician. If you are experiencing pain, please contact your primary care physician to determine your next steps in pain management. To learn more about pain management and improving your overall health, visit the U.S. Pain Foundation, where you can read treatment overviews, causes and more.

To schedule a comprehensive preventive health exam at Cooper Clinic, visit cooper-clinic.com or call 866.906.2667.