How to Control the Pain of a Spinal Cord Injury
Pain management specialists rely on a variety of approaches to control pain from spinal cord injuries. Their goal is to improve the patient's ability to function and perform daily activities. Often ,spinal cord injuries cause chronic pain that requires the usual treatment with pain medications and physical or chiropractic therapy. Pain management specialists are experimenting with nontraditional remedies, like hypnosis and acupuncture treatments, to pinpoint a rehabilitative program that offers maximum pain relief.
Instructions
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Ask your doctor to prescribe the drug methylprednisolone, sold as Medrol, as soon as possible after you've sustained spinal cord injury. Medrol counteracts nerve-cell damage, reducing inflammation surrounding the injury.
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Consider whether you should be placed in traction to prevent more pain. This stabilizes the spine and improves its ability to realign correctly. Alternatively, you might want to use harnesses, neck collars or metal braces that restrict your ability to move the head. Some hospitals and care facilities use special beds that restrict a patient's movement.
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Decide whether you are willing to undergo surgery to control the pain. Ask your doctor to examine x-rays of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine to pinpoint the area of injury. The doctor will then determine whether bone fragments, bulging or herniated discs or foreign matter is causing the spinal cord pain and needs to be removed. This may not eradicate the pain completely, but it could reduce the pressure that herniated discs and other structural defects are placing on the nerves, thus producing more pain.
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Register for a period of physical therapy at a professional rehabilitation center. You should complete a rehabilitative regimen designed by a pain-management specialist to control the pain over a period of weeks or months. Make sure the regimen includes muscle-strengthening exercises that boost your body's pain-fighting mechanism.
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Find out if your doctor recommends using a modern wheelchair, even if only at home. The new electric wheelchairs help control spinal cord pain by reducing stress on the spine that comes from performing everyday activities like walking and standing. Some even climb stairs.
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Look into the many electronic aids to daily living , known as EADL. These computer-operated devices can help you perform a variety of everyday activities by flicking a switch or using your voice.
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Think about hypnosis to control the pain. Current research at the University of Washington suggests that hypnosis can help manage pain in patients with spinal cord injuries.
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Consider acupuncture therapy, in which needles are inserted into your body at the location of the pain. Though some doctors doubt that acupuncture is a valid treatment option that can offer significant improvement in pain, this remedy remains popular and has been around for thousands of years.
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