Pain is a major issue for many people in this country.
One in five people experience chronic pain on a regular basis, while more than 54 percent of adults in the U.S. suffer from arthritis, lower back pain, sciatica and other musculoskeletal” pain disorders.
When an injury occurs, the body sends a message to the nervous system signaling that something is wrong. This is called acute pain.
With chronic pain, a patient may have suffered from arthritis, a sprained back or ear infection in the past, but the body still continues to send signals that something is wrong – even after the condition has improved.
In some cases, there has never been any kind of injury at all, but the body automatically sends messages to the nervous system that signal pain.
Many people age 65 and older suffer from chronic pain – more so than any other age group. However, it’s also true that many of these seniors experience more than one condition at the same time.
Some of the chronic pain suffered by older adults could be the result of things like arthritis, lower back pain, headaches, psychogenic pain, neurogenic pain, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, interstitial cystitis, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, or vulvodynia.

How Is Chronic Pain Treated?

Once a doctor determines the condition, he or she prescribes medication based on that diagnosis.
Some treatments include oral medications like anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, and opioids. Others include more topical solutions like lidocaine and fentanyl patches.
There are also more invasive procedures such as interventional techniques that involve injections around the pain site.

But what if these treatments fail to result in the kind of pain relief a patient is looking for?     

In cases where methods that are more conventional cannot provide needed relief, many people have forgone the traditional route of chronic pain treatment and opted for alternative therapy.
Alternative medicine involves therapies used in place of standard medical treatments and are often not prescribed by doctors or backed by science.  And surprisingly, many medical doctors are not trained in pain management, so the patient becomes the expert in this particular area of their lives.
There are many different types of alternative therapies. Each method is used to relieve pain in different ways and throughout various parts of the body.
Acupuncture, Ayurveda, homeopathy, naturopathy, and Chinese medicine are a few that are considered more acceptable forms of therapy.
Some forms of alternative therapy are designed to heal by touch like massage, Tai chi, Yoga, Chiropractic, and body movements. Other forms involve the use of diets and herbs like herbal medicine. While others depend on external energy such as Electromagnetic therapy, Reiki and Qigong.
If you are considering another treatment method for chronic pain, be sure to consult your doctor and find a licensed professional that can offer home care services , which specialize in alternative therapy.