There are many ways to treat pain, from whole-body health to specific medications and treatments. Explore your options and speak with a medical professional before choosing your course.
Once you understand your pain, treating it can often include a mixture of self-care and prescribed approaches. At times, mild pain may be managed without medications. Some pain may be managed with self-care, such as those listed below.
Pain may be managed successfully with non-opioid medications. Talk to your doctor about these options and see what is right for you.
Below is a list of common over-the-counter pain relievers that are not opioids. These medications might help you manage your pain.
Distraction is undervalued. We know from research that focusing attention on pain makes the pain worse, and distraction can reduce pain.
Social contact can help keep moods stable and stops feelings of being alone and depressed. Simply being in the same room as another person has the potential to reduce stress. Try playing cards or see if your place of worship or local community center has social hours. Keep the activities easy and stress free.
Search for doctors, hospitals and clinics.
Living a healthy lifestyle, having positive social interactions and feeling positive about your life can reduce the pain response and make it easier to handle health problems when they happen.
Key factors in maintaining wellbeing:
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While there are many prescriptions and over-the-counter medications available for managing pain, there are other options you may want to try as you heal and recover. This guide explains some of your options. Talk to your health care provider about other options that may work the best for you.
This list includes examples of some of the most commonly used and effective therapy options that haven’t been mentioned yet.
| Alternative Therapy | How does it work? |
|---|---|
| Physical and Occupational Therapy | A combination of activities, exercises and other techniques used to relieve pain as well as improve range of motion, coordination, flexibility, strength and endurance. |
| TENS or Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation | TENS uses low voltage electrical current to relieve pain. Always talk to your doctor or physical therapist before trying TENS. |
| Chiropractic Care or Osteopathic Manipulation | Manipulation of the spine or moving the spine to relieve pain and helps the body to heal. |
| Acupressure | A form of therapy used by applying pressure to specific areas of the body to relieve pain. |
| Acupuncture | Very thin needles are inserted into the skin at specific ‘acupoints’ to relieve pain. |
| Therapeutic Massage | Aids in the healing process by reducing muscle tension, nerve pressure and stress. |
| Cognitive Behavior Therapy | Psychological treatment used to help alleviate pain and depression by identifying a person’s negative thoughts and attitudes and developing coping skill to adjust to the individual’s symptoms. |
| Biofeedback | Biofeedback combines monitoring of your body functions (like your heart rate, blood pressure and breathing) with relaxation exercises to learn how to self-manage pain. |
| Specialty Pain Care | A combination of several treatments and therapies to manage the physical, emotional and psychosocial aspects of pain. |
Call the customer service number on the back of your member ID card to see which alternative therapies would be covered under your medical benefit.
The benefits of exercise are well known and may help reduce pain.
Consider: Stretching. Yoga. Walking. Biking. Tai chi. Swimming. Weights. And lots more!
Rest: Rest injured area. Limit regular activities.
Ice: Ice injury 4-8 times per day. Place a cloth between ice and skin, 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off.
Compress: Apply pressure to reduce swelling. Use a wrap bandage, so it's snug but not too tight.
Elevate: Place injured area on a pillow above the heart. Keep it raised whenever you can. Use pillows for support if needed.
You can download these wellness apps to your phone. Note: some apps may cost you money to purchase.
Take a deep breath, so that your stomach expands like a balloon with each breath. Inhale to a count of four, hold for a count of four, exhale to a count of four, then hold for a count of four. Repeat 10 times every morning and night.
Big breath in > Count to 4 > Exhale > Repeat (x 10)
This information was created as a public health collaborative between Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Health Partners, UCARE, Hennepin Health, Medica and South Country Health Alliance. Originally published in December 2019 at stratishealth.org.