5 Natural Pain Management Strategies

Many of you know I’ve been involved with martial arts for a long time. Last year, I got a back injury during practice, and I’ve been having issues with both pain and movement for months. With people living so much longer now, all of us are prone to experiencing such setbacks. In fact, according to the 2019 National Health Interview Survey, about 20.4% of U.S. adults experience pain that lingers for at least 3 months. Many people turn to prescription pain medications, but they come with a host of side effects and, in some cases, the risk for addiction. But, in my personal experience with pain, I’ve found how to cope with pain naturally so I can stay fit and healthy. Here’s what has helped me.

Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t do. Move your body today in some way—despite the physical limitations or pain you may be experiencing.

How Pain Affects Mental Health

Last year before the holidays, I wasn’t doing well for almost a month. My back felt awful. (Of course, it was then that I really found a new appreciation for feeling healthy—when I didn’t feel so great anymore.) For two weeks, I barely even got up. I’d had back problems before, and they seemed to flare up during COVID quarantine a few years back. But this time was worse.

I’d also experienced injuries before, but it comes with the territory—after all, I’ve been super-active my whole life. I ran track as a teenager, did CrossFit, and practiced martial arts for 15 years. (I’ve also been in a car accident, which may have created or worsened my back issues.) In the past, I’ve recovered from various injuries—multiple bulging discs in my back, pulled muscles, broken bones—and moved on.

But recently, when pain put me down for the count for a whole month, I had to reassess. For people like me who are used to being active, not moving is like the kiss of death. You can actually get depressed or experience worsened depressive symptoms. This phenomenon, called post-injury depression, may also affect women more than men, according to findings from one study. For myself, not exercising was really getting to me. It’s not just about losing muscle; it’s really about missing the habit of getting the blood flowing and feeling good again. This is about mental health, not about fitness achievements or looking a certain way.

While dealing with this injury, I learned a thing or two about living with pain. First, have a plan B, learn to let go of control and expectations, and drop all of the “shoulds” from your vocabulary. Second, learn some natural ways to cope with the pain so it doesn’t wreak havoc on your life. Here are a few of the methods that kept me afloat at this difficult time.

With so much stress in our lives, we need to get it out of both the mind and body. When we hold on to emotional stress, we tense muscles, deplete oxygen, and make everything worse—even physical pain.

5 Natural Pain Management Strategies

1. Move within your limits. Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t do. Move your body today in some way, gently if needed, despite the physical limitations or pain you may be experiencing. No excuses—you can do it! There are always things that you can do to get your body on the road to healing. It’s also important to keep your core strong, especially when you have a back injury. (Just make sure you’re being safe with your movement. Ask your doctor if you have any questions.)

2. Counteract stress. Techniques like journaling and meditation, along with taking supplements like magnesium and l-theanine, have helped me successfully manage pain for years now. In fact, when I went in for an MRI late last year to find the source of my pain, my doctors were amazed I’ve been able to maintain my level of activity for the past three years. They found I basically crushed a disc, with two vertebrae in very bad shape and vulnerable. (No wonder I was having trouble just walking upstairs!)

But I know that my meditation practice helped me manage all of those problems for as long as I did. I’d learned about how emotional stress affects our physical bodies by reading the book The Mindbody Prescription by Dr. John Sarno. With so much stress in our lives, we need to get it out of both the mind and body. When we hold on to emotional stress, we tense muscles, deplete oxygen, and make everything worse. I pray a lot, too, and I find that also helps. You can even try rage journaling—just get all of your frustrations out on the page. It’s all about managing your stress. And I’ve noticed that without these practices, my pain is 10 times worse.

Dealing with pain? Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t do. Move your body today in some way, gently if needed, despite the physical limitations or pain you may be experiencing.

3. Exhaust your options. A while back, I had my hip checked out and was given the all-clear. I figured I was free to return to my normal routines. But I later found out that my spine was the problem, which was affecting my hip. So check for underlying issues, since mechanical problems can be serious.

Then, after addressing the issue, I sought out supportive items to help me in my recovery, like a Dr. Ho’s back brace belt that I wear—it’s a life changer. Getting back to some gentle, no-impact movement (such as working with resistance bands), combined with the belt, helped. When it comes to feeling better, why not try whatever you can? If something doesn’t work to lessen your pain, try the next thing.

4. Stay positive. Don’t give up hope. I’ll admit that at some point in my journey last year, I started to feel sorry for myself and sink into that victim mentality—you know, that voice that tells us, “What’s the point?” or “Why even try?” Instead, overcome those negative thoughts, put on some pump-you-up, feel-good music to energize yourself, boost mood through a healthy diet, and do what movement you can. The bottom line is, if you want something, you’ll find a way, and if you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.

5. Research alternatives. If natural solutions aren’t helping enough, or if something more serious is going on, you might have to seek medical intervention. I’m not the kind of person who just runs off to surgery to fix any issue that arises, but with my recent spinal injuries, I eventually got an epidural to help. After all, we do not want to invite permanent loss or debilitating conditions to occur down the line. We get only one body, so we need to take care of it!

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Tana Amen, BSN, RN
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Dorrin Beth Rosenfeld

A car accident is not a normal ache/pain. I am a Chiropractor with a serious brain injury myself overt 35 years ago). I am doing this work because I got the Chiropractic help I needed and I am pain-free now.).

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