Chronic Pain
Photo by Jesper Aggergaardon on Unsplash
Chronic pain is so much more than an occasional headache or sore muscle. Instead, it is the persistent presence of debilitating pain that can have a huge impact on a person’s ability to maintain their daily lifestyle. According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, an estimated 100 million people are living with chronic pain in the United States. The most common types of chronic pain include lower back pain, migraines/headaches, neck pain, and facial pain. However, the causes of chronic pain are varied:
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Injury
- Autoimmune disease
- Arthritis
- Muscle tightness
- Nerve damage
Anyone who experiences chronic pain should consult their doctor about lifestyle changes and treatments that can help them manage their discomfort. Finding what works for your chronic pain takes trial and error, but there are many different management techniques to choose from.
Cannabiodiol (CBD) for Chronic Pain
Cannabidiol, or CBD as it is more commonly called, is one of the hundreds of cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. When used, CBD stimulates the body’s endocannabinoid system– the system that regulates your physiological factors like sleep, mood, and digestion. While CBD comes from marijuana, it does not cause intoxication like the cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Rather, it balances the body’s endocannabinoid system so it is better able to regulate itself. The use of CBD can reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. Furthermore, CBD has anti-inflammatory properties which can be very helpful for managing chronic pain.
Because it comes from cannabis, which is an illegal drug, CBD existed within a legal gray area for years. However, in 2018, the Senate passed the Hemp Farming Act in which hemp and products like CBD would be permanently legal and treated as agricultural commodities, rather than being listed as a drug under the Controlled Substances Act. CBD can be administered in many ways, including through pills, oils, balms, vapors (like e-cigarettes), and edibles.
Massage Therapy for Chronic Pain
Supine neck massage. Figure credit: Joseph Muscolino. Advanced Treatment Techniques for the Manual Therapist – Neck (LWW, 2013).
Many people who suffer from chronic pain find that regular massage therapy helps them alleviate and manage their symptoms. While the scientific evidence is a little lacking, most of the problems stem from how difficult it is to study massage’s effect on something as subjective as pain. With that in mind, the anecdotal evidence is plentiful enough to consider massage therapy as a method for coping with chronic pain.
One way that massage helps is by reducing feelings of depression and anxiety that can trigger pain flare-ups. It also increases blood flow, relieves muscle tension, and improves spinal mobility. Furthermore, the deep state of relaxation you experience during a massage supports your mental wellness, which is important for all of us.
Digital COMT
Did you know that Digital COMT (Digital Clinical Orthopedic Manual Therapy), Dr. Joe Muscolino’s continuing education video streaming subscription service for massage therapists (and all manual therapists and movement professionals), has at present (November of 2018) more than 1,000 video lessons on manual therapy continuing education, including entire folders on massage therapy, exercise, stretching, and joint mobilization. And we add seven (7) new videos lessons each and every week! And nothing ever goes away. There are also folders on Pathomechanics and Anatomy and Physiology, including an entire folder on Cadaver Anatomy… and many, many more on other manual and movement therapy assessment and treatment techniques? Click here for more information.
Exercise for Chronic Pain
Exercise is one of the most underutilized medicines in the United States. While it may be hard to motivate yourself to put on your sweats in the middle of a pain flare-up, the physical activity releases neurotransmitters that are your body’s most efficient pain relievers. Working out also regulates body weight, which means less stress on joints. Furthermore, regular exercise supports muscle and joints, perhaps reducing the number of pain flare-ups you experience overall. It’s important to incorporate a number of different exercises into your regimen, including cardiovascular workouts, strength training, and stretching.
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain makes it difficult for millions of Americans to enjoy their everyday lives. Chronic pain can be caused by many factors and might require a complete lifestyle change to manage it. CBD is a legal cannabinoid that enables the body to function at its best by relieving inflammation that can lead to chronic pain. Massage therapy promotes relaxation and prevents chronic pain flare-ups. Finally, those who experience chronic pain should incorporate regular exercise into their routines for both pain management and prevention.
Comment by Joseph Muscolino
Whenever pain is present, whether it is chronic or acute, it is important to have as thorough an assessment as possible to determine the cause(s) of the pain. Masking pain with CBD or any pain reliever might allow an injurious process to continue that might cause further harm to the body. Similarly, if we do not know the cause of the pain, it is possible that massage therapy and/or exercise could cause further injury. Although these precautions apply more strongly to conditions that cause acute pain, they should be considered with chronic pain as well. It should also be noted that it is also possible that massage therapy and/or exercise might not only relieve the pain process for people who experience chronic pain, but might also help address the underlying mechanism of the condition that is causing the pain. Therefore, massage and/or exercise might be doubly effective at helping people who experience chronic pain.
Certainly, when the mechanism of the pain is understood, we can better address the factors that can alleviate it. If there is any doubt as to the advisability of implementing the recommendations in this blog post article, we should seek the advice of a physician.
This post was slightly modified from a blog post article written by Dana Brown (HealthConditions.Info).
Digital COMT
Did you know that Digital COMT (Digital Clinical Orthopedic Manual Therapy), Dr. Joe Muscolino’s continuing education video streaming subscription service for massage therapists (and all manual therapists and movement professionals), has at present (November of 2018) more than 1,000 video lessons on manual therapy continuing education, including entire folders on massage therapy, exercise, stretching, and joint mobilization. And we add seven (7) new videos lessons each and every week! And nothing ever goes away. There are also folders on Pathomechanics and Anatomy and Physiology, including an entire folder on Cadaver Anatomy… and many, many more on other manual and movement therapy assessment and treatment techniques? Click here for more information.
