What is the relationship between medication and pain? Pain requires a targeted and specialised approach towards medication. This is because different types of pain respond better to particular types of medication.
Nociceptive Pain
Nociceptive pain is caused by damage to body tissue. Regular over-the-counter painkillers such as; paracetamol and ibuprofen, are often effective for this type of pain. Paracetamol help to decrease pain by interrupting or dampening the pain signals to your brain. For pain and inflammation caused by the body in response to acute damage can be limited by using a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) such as Ibuprofen.
Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic pain is pain refers to pain caused by neural structures. Anticonvulsant, anti-epileptic and antidepressant drugs are often the first choice to treat neuropathic pain. These work by suppressing the pain pathways to the brain and can sometimes take weeks to take full effect. The likelihood and severity of side effects can increase with higher doses of neuropathic pain medication.
Paracetamol, ibuprofen or morphine are often not effective for this type of pain. These may provide some short term relief. If used for chronic neuropathic pain, the user can risk becoming reliant on them. You should see your doctor for more advice if this is the case.
Exercise
Poor posture, being overweight and normal body changes due to ageing are some of the things that can cause pain. Research has shown pain severity decreases and physical function and quality of life increase with exercise. Safety is paramount when first exercising on medication. See your GP for advice on where to start, and they may refer you to a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist.
If you have any questions, you can read more about how our Physio can help you manage your pain here. You can give us a call on 07 3352 5116 or book online and one of our exercise physiology team members can help to put the best plan in place for you.