Josh Perez Fitness

Acute pain is pain that is sharp and sudden, and usually is caused by an illness, injury, or surgery. Self-care for pain is often common sense. If you’re working with a doctor to relieve acute pain, you’re most likely taking over-the-counter or prescribed pain medications at appropriate intervals, as well as resting and applying heat or cold to your aches. But you can do even more to heal and strengthen your body on your own through self-care techniques.

Here are some tips on how to manage acute pain:

Don’t do too much: Rest is one of the best treatments for acute pain! Give your injuries time to heal, chances are it will resolve itself within a reasonable amount of time. Some joints can be aggravated by overuse. If you do too much in a day, you might suffer at night. Plan your activities so that you’re not likely to cause yourself pain from straining injured body parts. If you have to undertake a prolonged activity that might cause pain, plan to take breaks along the way.

Start exercising: As long as your doctor, physical therapist, fitness professional approves, you should engage in regular exercise to strengthen your muscles and your cardiovascular system. If you’re in good physical shape, you’re less likely to injure yourself and feel pain from your daily tasks. Muscle fatigue can contribute to injury, which in turn can cause acute pain.

Ask for help: If your pain doesn’t go away within a reasonable amount of time, you should seek the advice of a doctor. Acute pain is often a signal that something is wrong. When the pain persists beyond the healing process or beyond the time expected for healing, it becomes a chronic pain condition and there are numerous modalities to treat that. Options for treating chronic pain include prescription medications, physical therapy, injection or infusion therapies, and complementary and alternative therapies like therapeutic massage and acupuncture, or even sitting in your own massage chair.

Reduce stressors: Studies have shown that stress can exacerbate pain. You may not be able to control the causes of your stress — such as traffic or catching a cold, but you can make improvements by planning ahead. For example, get a flu shot to reduce your chances of getting the flu, or arrange your work schedule, errand-running, and doctors’ appointments so you avoid peak traffic times.

The best way to control acute pain is to keep it from getting worse. If you exercise some common sense and stay in good physical shape, you will find it easier to cope with acute pain.

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1. middle age fitness Says:
   February 22nd, 2010 at 3:04 am

   Great advice about resting. I remember being told that if my back was hurting I need to do more and keep it working until the pain went away!! Of course the opposite was true and it just kept hurting.
   Sometimes we have to learn to listen to what our body wants

   Diane

2. Cherie Says:
   February 23rd, 2010 at 10:05 am

   Great article!

3. Jessica Says:
   February 23rd, 2010 at 10:06 am

   Thanks for the tips Josh!

4. Ryan Says:
   February 23rd, 2010 at 10:06 am

   Nice image…lol

5. Josh Perez Says:
   February 23rd, 2010 at 10:28 am

   Absolutely Diane! I appreciate the comment and your feedback!