Pain is a personal feeling. You can’t measure it objectively. But it can have a powerful negative effect on your physical functioning, interaction with others, and even your mood. It is your body’s reaction to illness or injury.
If it persists for more than 3 to 6 months after recovery, it becomes chronic pain. Chronic pain disrupts the lives of over 50 million Americans. In fact, 25% of adults in America experience it and require medical care. So, if you are currently experiencing it, know that you’re not alone.
This chronic pain can prevent you from operating well in society and also in your simple day-to-day activities. But the good thing is that modern pain management techniques are here to give you hope. They ensure that you can easily break away from the cycle of pain. Here, we’ll look into these innovative techniques that you can use to achieve lasting relief:
Epidural Steroid Injection (ESIs)
If you are having a serious case of chronic back pain, ESIs can provide you with the perfect solution to lasting relief. It is a technique that is used to manage pain that comes from the spine. This treatment involves the injection of anti-inflammatory medications directly into your epidural space and the spinal nerves around them.
It provides significant relief from pain & inflammation. One of the best things about this pain relief method is that it delivers injections to areas of your body that need it the most. It is better than oral medication, which affects your whole body.
Another incredible thing about ESIS is that it has long-lasting effects which can help you avoid surgery or any other serious interventions. What’s more, is that you may experience significant relief from pain after repeat injections. This ensures that you break down from the cycle of pain easily.
Radiofrequency Ablation
If you’ve ever experienced chronic pain from conditions like arthritis or injury, then consider getting radiofrequency ablation. This pain management method is minimally invasive, it targets and disrupts the nerves that ensure you feel pain.
Radiofrequency ablation involves the use of radiofrequency energy to “burn” specific nerves. The procedure prevents the nerves from sending the pain signals to the brain. Your doctor can recommend this treatment if you often suffer from chronic pain in the lower back, neck, and joints.
One of the best benefits that you can enjoy from radiofrequency ablation is its lasting impact. This procedure can give you pain relief from 6 months to over one year. In some cases, it can be so effective that you won’t feel any more.
Sacroiliac Joint Injections
Sacroiliac Joint Injections are ideal for anyone who suffers chronic lower back & leg pain. The procedure involves an injection of a steroid medication and local anesthetic to the sacroiliac joint. These injections aim to give you temporary relief that can last 24 to 48 hours after the procedure is done.
But after that, the pain may return. So, you can enjoy a few hours of a pain-free leg or lower back. An essential point to remember is that sacroiliac joint injections cannot be performed if you have high blood pressure, fever, cold, flu, active infections, or if you are on blood thinners. So, before you get the injections, inform your doctor whether you have any of these conditions; this will ensure your safety.
Piriformis Injections
The piriformis muscle is responsible for rotating your leg outwards. It is one of the muscles you have deep in your butt. If this muscle becomes tight, it can put pressure on the nerves that are close to it.
This tightness can cause you to feel pain in your butt that radiates down your leg. If you experience this, then the piriformis injection can offer the perfect solution. It can deliver a small amount of steroid and local anesthetic into the piriformis muscle—ensuring pain relief. The primary goal of getting the injection is to ensure that you have lasting relief to the extent that you can resume your normal activities.
A vital point to note is that after the procedure, you should;
- Not drive
- Do not take a soak in water (hot tub/pool) or a tub bath for 24 hours after the treatment
- Wait three days after the piriformis injection to go for physical therapy
To sum it up…
Experiencing chronic pain daily can be an incredibly challenging experience for anyone. The good thing is that there are now innovative medical techniques, as you can see from above, that can help deliver pain relief. One of the best things about them is that they give lasting results. So you can reclaim your life easily and be free of the limitations of persistent pain.