Freedom from Chronic Pain

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‘The diagnoses only tells you where inflammation is showing up. It doesn’t tell you why it started.’ (stopchasingpain.com)

It’s your choice

How you choose to deal with your pain is up to you. Bodywork can be an excellent ‘drug free’ way of treating your pain. Combining it with other investigative techniques such as talking therapy or emotional freedom technique can be even more effective. Nutrition, exercise and lifestyle adjustments can also bring about positive changes in relation to your pain.

Pain

‘Pain can be a good thing as it is the body’s way of warning us that there is a problem that needs to be corrected.’

Pain is generally divided into two categories, Acute and Chronic.

Acute Pain

Acute pain generally occurs due to an accident, or incident such as surgery, and this can cause potential pain, swelling, inflammation, and decreased range of motion. The general advise for this during the initial stages is to rest, ice, compress and elevate the affected area. Pain that has occurred through no apparent incident or accident can be treated straight away.

Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain is pain that persists long beyond the usual healing time of an injury. Pain signals can remain active in the nervous system for weeks, months, or years. Some people suffer chronic pain even when there is no past injury or apparent body damage. The treatment of Chronic Pain can take one session or several sessions and this all depends on several factors including lifestyle, psychological and emotional distress, thought processes, postural imbalances, repetition and how long the pain condition has taken to evolve. Having said that, just because you have had something for 60 years, it doesn’t mean it will take longer to recover. When the body is ready to heal, it will heal!

The Effects of Chronic Pain

People who have chronic pain can have physical effects that are stressful on the body. These include tense muscles, limited ability to move around, a lack of energy, and appetite changes. Emotional effects of chronic pain include depression, anger, anxiety, and fear of re-injury. Such a fear might limit a person’s ability to return to their regular work or leisure activities.

The Body-Mind Connection

The Body-Mind connection acknowledges that pain and injury can occur due to our thought process, emotional blocks and limiting beliefs and can play havoc in our body…and certainly if we have emotional pain that is not dealt with it can accumulate as pain and restriction in the body. Our bodies are literally trying to tell us something! Treating the body and the person is the most effective form of pain relief.

“A wise physician said to me, ‘I have been practising medicine for 30 years and I have prescribed many things. But in the long run I have learned that for most of what ails the human creature, the best medicine is love.”

“What if it doesn’t work?” I asked.

“Double the dose,” he replied.

(How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body, David R. Hamilton)