5 Alternatives to Pain Medication for Lasting Relief

Chronic pain and disability go hand-in-hand. When you’re in pain for a long time, it can limit your ability to work, engage with friends and family, and enjoy life. 

Finding an effective way to manage your chronic pain improves your overall well-being, but pain medication isn’t always the solution. In fact, it can cause further problems for some. 

Between the risk of dependency and challenging side effects, such as drowsiness or nausea, opioid pain medications might not be your or your doctor’s first choice for pain management. 

That’s why Kelly DiStefano, MD, takes an integrative, whole-person approach to addressing chronic pain at Montclair Concierge Medicine in Verona, New Jersey. 

In this blog, we detail five alternatives to pain medication for lasting pain relief. Dr. DiStefano begins with a comprehensive assessment of your overall health and pain level to make personalized recommendations based on your needs. 

1. Physical therapy

Physical therapy is a cornerstone of chronic pain management. Individualized physical therapy has numerous benefits for people with chronic pain, including increasing the strength of specific muscle groups to reduce stress on painful joints and other areas. 

Exercises are often an important part of physical therapy. However, a physical therapist might employ other techniques alongside stretches and exercises. They might use:

• Nerve stimulation
• Ultrasound therapy
• Massage therapy
• Heat
• Ice

Combined, techniques like these can reduce inflammation, increase mobility, and alleviate pain. 

2. Injection therapies and nerve blocks

Injections and nerve blocks can go a long way in reducing chronic pain for weeks, months, or even years. Here are three of the most common types:

Joint injections

Joint injections can contain corticosteroids to alleviate inflammation or additional components like hyaluronic acid (HA) to lubricate painful joints. These help reduce joint pain from various types of arthritis. 

Epidural steroid injections

Epidural steroid injections are placed in the epidural space around the spinal cord to reduce inflammation that compresses and aggravates nerve roots. Dr. DiStefano might recommend them for low back or neck pain from herniated discs, bone spurs, and other common conditions that narrow the spinal canal. 

Nerve blocks

Nerve blocks are anesthetic injections that target specific nerves at the source of your pain. They interrupt pain signals from those nerves before they reach your brain.  

3. Weight management

Dr. DiStefano might recommend a weight loss program as part of your chronic pain management plan at Montclair Concierge Medicine. 

Excessive weight can place extra pressure on your joints and soft tissues, causing or worsening chronic pain. Effective weight management through dietary modifications and increased exercise may reduce pain and improve your mobility. 

4. Stress management

Stress can feed into chronic pain, and you might experience anxiety or depression in tandem with chronic pain. You can also reduce chronic pain by managing your stress and mental health. Managing stress, anxiety, and depression through mindfulness, counseling, or antidepressant medications may offer lasting pain relief without pain medications. 

5. Lifestyle changes

You might be surprised by the amount of pain relief simple lifestyle changes can offer. Dr. DiStefano discusses your lifestyle, behaviors, and current coping strategies so she can make tailored recommendations for pain-mitigating lifestyle changes. 

Lifestyle recommendations for chronic pain management may include:

• Smoking cessation
• Reduced alcohol drinking
• Increased physical activity 
• Improving your sleep
• Dietary modifications

Dr. DiStefano can help you replace unhelpful coping mechanisms with other behaviors that won’t aggravate your chronic pain. 

Get in touch

Learn more about pain management and how an individualized care plan can help you. Call Montclair Concierge Medicine to book an appointment today.