Pain can be defined as a highly unpleasant physical sensation that’s caused by an illness, injury or stress. When the body feels pain, physical activities are greatly hindered and life feels like a standstill.

Pain is classified as acute or chronic based on the causative factor. Generally, pain is acute when it is caused by injuries and it is chronic when caused by an infectious disease.

Over time, people have devised several ways to cure pains based on the information available to them. The effects of these methods vary as a result of circumstances surrounding its application.

In this article, I present 5 of the most effective ways through which you can relieve pain and get your body back to its usual vibe.

  1. Medications

One of the main reasons people go to the hospital is to get help with the relief of pain. Most times, painkillers are administered to provide quick relief and to eliminate the discomfort that pain brings about. One of the advantages of pain relief medications is that they provide fast, soothing effects on the body and are usually very effective in their use as pain control measures. Also, they’re often used to support an on-going treatment of painful conditions.

However, a lot of medications have the tendency of becoming addictive because of their narcotic content. This is why pain relievers are better off as prescription drugs rather than over the counter medications. When it comes to the use of painkillers, self-medication is greatly discouraged and it is better to consult a doctor before concluding on what’s good for you.

  1. Modern Therapy

Although medications are effective in the treatment of pain, they are not always applicable. Basically, the nature and source of the pain are what determine the treatment to be administered and this realization was what led to the formulation of various modern therapies.

For example, psychological therapies are sometimes used in the management of chronic pain. Physiotherapy also has a wide range of applications, and is often applied to the neuromusculoskeletal region of the body to relieve back pain, arthritis, and sports injuries. In addition to these, there is also Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Prolotherapy, Low-Level Laser Therapy and Low-Dose Naltrexone Therapy, just to name a few.

  1. Alternative Therapy

This is a term for medical practices that are used in the curing of different ailments but are not accepted or have not been adopted as standard medical care. These practices have been in existence since time immemorial and the fact that they are termed as alternative therapy doesn’t make them less effective.

Foremost among these therapies are acupuncture and cupping. Acupuncture is a form of treatment where thin needles are inserted into specific points on a  person’s body, to various depths. Studies show that it is very effective for the treatment of pains. The same thing goes for cupping but in its own case, special cups are placed on the skin to create suction and it is used for many purposes including pain treatment, inflammation, and blood flow.

  1. Natural pain relievers

Before the advent of orthodox medicine, almost all forms of illnesses were cured with herbs. For every ailment, there was always a specific local concoction for their treatment although the efficacy could not be verified. For example, the ancient Egyptians were known to use dried myrtle leaves for the treatment of aches and pains and it worked for them.

With more advancements in modern medicine, certain over-the-counter and prescription drugs were developed to effectively relieve pains but the downside is that they often have adverse effects on health. That’s why people continued to explore more natural ways to relieve pain. The following are some of the effective natural pain relievers that you can try: lavender essential oil,  eucalyptus essential, clove, capsaicin, ginger, peppermint essential oil, turmeric, among others.

  1. Exercise

Exercise is a good and natural way of alleviating pain. It helps to ease stress and tension that have built up in the body and helps to regain vitality. Unlike many pain relief strategies, exercise is both preventive and corrective in the sense that regular exercise prevents some kinds of pains while certain pains are easily reduced through regular exercise.

To get even better results from your exercise routine, it’s always good to combine it with the use of correct ergonomics. Good ergonomics helps to reduce stress and eliminate injuries that are usually caused by poor body posture.