Dealing with severe nerve pain can be a nightmare. Whether it’s severe pain in the hands and feet or something like chronic back pain, if you don’t get the right medical assistance and take care of yourself as soon as possible, you’ll run the risk of suffering from nerve pain for the rest of your life.
Nearly 60% of all people suffering from chronic pain report a negative impact on their overall enjoyment of life, and this pain can seriously disrupt your ability to work and enjoy life. Don’t let severe pain ruin your day-to-day activities or stress you out even more.
Hopefully, this information will help you better understand how to deal with your chronic nerve pain and put you on the right path to a comfortable and healthy life.
Painkilling Medications
Over-the-counter treatments can work to quell moderate pain, at least temporarily, but you need to be very careful about relying too much on medications of any kind. While prescription strength painkillers may be a part of your treatment plan, these medications are also extremely addictive. Over time, your body will develop tolerance, and you will soon become completely dependent on the medication just to feel “normal.” As a result, it’s important to consider a variety of treatment options.
The majority of painkillers should never be taken for more than 10 days and never more than recommended. Taking over the counter medications might help with mild or sporadic pain, but likely won’t help your chronic pain. Talk to a medical professional if you really want to alleviate your pain long term.
Topical Painkillers
Using painkiller ointments and creams can work great to alleviate pain as well. Many of these ointments include local anesthetic that numbs the nerve pain wherever it’s applied. Some of these creams even contain a painkiller that comes from chili peppers calls capsaicin. The reason these topical treatments are so helpful is that they can be applied exactly where you’re experiencing pain and are not addictive like opioid painkillers. However, they are usually only for temporary alleviation and can be difficult to heal certain nerve pain.
Vitamins and Other Supplements
Certain vitamins and other supplements can help lessen pain in some patients, but, like any medication, you need to be extremely careful with what you’re using. Severe pain is often caused or worsened by vitamin B12 deficiency, so taking vitamins may or may not help. If you’re interested in pursuing this strategy, talk to your physician or orthopedic care specialist about any vitamins or supplements you want to add to your diet.
You should always talk to a medical professional before you take any medications or go through with certain joint pain treatments.
If you’re experiencing constant, severe nerve pain and want to do something about it, contact the i-Spine Institute today.