It is estimated that about 50 million Americans live with chronic pain all their lives. Living with chronic pain affects sleep, emotions, moods, work, and relationships. Although many people “learn” to live with the pain, the discomfort is not that easy is handle. Pain management doctors help in relieving and eliminating symptoms of pain.

The causes of pain can be physical, emotional or both. When you consult a pain management doctor, he will evaluate your case and investigate the various causes of your pain symptoms. Based on the diagnosis, he will recommend a therapy or a combination of therapies that will help to provide relief from pain. Pain management doctors also recommend techniques that you can incorporate into your daily life for better management of pain. Different people will different pain management therapies, but a majority of pain management programs have the following therapies in common:

Chiropractic care: Part of alternative medicine, chiropractic care therapy is generally used for symptoms of pain related to the nervous system and the musculoskeletal system. Pain management doctors suggest this technique mostly for lumbar spine pain, cervical spine pain, headaches, joint pain and radiating pain. Chiropractic care is one of the most affordable pain management treatment. It has been known to decrease dependency on medications and improve recovery period.

Heat or ice therapy: Pain management doctors recommend heat or ice therapy as a part of first line treatment for pain management. This is more of a conservative approach towards pain management, which is part of the initial stage of the treatment. If this approach does not work, your pain management doctor will recommend an interventional method of treatment that might also involve surgery.

Physical therapy: Physical therapy involves a set of physical activities or exercises that are focused on the areas affected by pain. Pain management doctors recommend this form of therapy to manage chronic pain as well as to rehabilitate patient after a major surgery. Physical therapy is also one of the first-line of treatments used for pain management. A continuous application of this therapy not only helps to provide relief from pain but also prevent recurrence of pain.

Oral pain medication: This is mostly a temporary therapy option that your pain management doctor may ask you to follow. You doctor might suggest over-the-counter analgesics or prescription pain relievers. Although dependency on oral pain medication is not recommended for long-term management of pain, pain management doctors usually recommend this therapy to provide immediate relief from pain.