Can you manage pain without medication?

Yes – depending on your situation, there are many non-pharmacological treatment options that can help you manage and relieve chronic pain. Non-pharmacological pain management uses different strategies to help you alter your thoughts, soothe the nervous system, and develop healthy lifestyle habits as well as supportive coping mechanisms that target the many factors contributing to chronic pain. Treatment options range from pain neuroscience education, psychological therapy (such as cognitive behavioral therapy), manual treatments like physiotherapy, to mindfulness training and hypnosis. Other safe, non-pharmacological methods that can help manage your pain include physical activity and therapeutic exercise, hot and cold therapy, massage, hydrotherapy, and neurostimulation (such as with a TENS unit or via acupuncture or acupressure). While these multimodal approaches may not be a direct or quick fix solution to pain, with consistency and patience, they have the potential to greatly reverse the effects of chronic pain and help you to manage your symptoms in the long run.