More than 619 million people around the world suffer from persistent lower back pain; in the United States, over 51 million adults experience some form of chronic pain each year.
At Interventional Pain Consultants in Parsippany, Montclair, and Landing, New Jersey, pain management physicians Kevin Elaahi, MD, Benjamin Kim, MD, and our team offer the highest quality care to keep you in tip-top shape during the holiday season and beyond.
Any pain lasting longer than three months is considered chronic, or long-term. Chronic pain may be felt in your:
Two types of nerves cause your body to feel pain. The first causes quick, sharp pain, and the second inflicts slow, dull pain. Your thalamus, which lies atop your brainstem, relays incoming messages, such as pain, from your nerves to your brain, triggering a response in the form of sensation.
Our team offers the following tips to help relieve your pain this holiday season.
During the holidays, we often overindulge in inflammation-causing sugar, chocolate, and alcohol. Instead, focus on healthier foods, such as tart cherries and cranberries, lean protein, and colorful vegetables to combat inflammation and pain naturally.
One of the best ways to curb your pain is by reducing inflammation in all forms. Helpful dietary strategies include:
Our team can recommend additional anti-inflammatory, pain-easing foods and nutrients.
Divide and conquer this holiday season to lessen pain flare-ups. Remember to:
And don’t forget to breathe in deeply to ease tension, and exhale fully to release the pain.
Combine simple exercises, such as brisk walking, swimming, tai chi, or chair yoga, with easy stretches to rejuvenate body and mind. These help reduce chronic pain by promoting better circulation, strengthening muscles, and improving joint mobility.
Our team can also customize specific exercises depending upon your particular situation.
Joy and other pleasant emotions release natural endorphins that work to help you feel good and reduce your pain. Laugh with friends and family over your favorite holiday movies and let the good times roll.
Our team offers a variety of surgical and non-surgical procedures, from trigger point injections to spinal cord stimulation, that can help control chronic pain through the holidays and beyond. These include:
Dr. Elaahi and Dr. Kim can also use regenerative medicine to boost healing, such as stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections.
While sharing acts of kindness during the holidays is wonderful, remember to also treat yourself with care. Chronic pain can make even the simplest tasks challenging. There’s no shame in sharing the responsibilities of the season and asking others for help.
Our expert team can help ease your pain during the holidays and throughout the year. To learn more, schedule a visit at Interventional Pain Consultants in Parsippany, Montclair, or Landing, New Jersey, today.
