Your Blueprint for Pain-free Aging

We don’t like to acknowledge that we need to adapt our body care to our life stage. This becomes a problem when it comes to pain management, particularly if you’re the type to tough it out until your body repairs itself.

The healing process is slower in an aging body, so underestimating pain, delaying treatment, or avoiding care due to pain-related fear may contribute to the development of chronic pain and associated disability.

Chronic pain is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and reduces quality of life. Insufficiently treated pain in older adults can negatively impact physical, cognitive, and social well-being.

But here’s the good news: treating acute pain appropriately may prevent its development into chronic pain, while managing existing chronic pain can improve quality of life and promote a healthy lifespan in the years to come.

When pain overstays its welcome

Acute pain is usually triggered by injury or trauma and serves as a protection mechanism to deter us from further insult. The body’s proinflammatory molecules, called cytokines and chemokines, mediate pain, and this process should resolve once the threat has subsided and the damaged tissues have been repaired.

But when acute pain is poorly managed, a pathological process takes place in the central and peripheral nervous systems, known as sensitization. This mechanism is theorized to drive the development of chronic pain. Pain is considered chronic when it has persisted for three months or longer.

Collaborative care

The “biopsychosocial model” of care acknowledges the intricate connections between physical, psychological, and social experiences of health. Multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation (MBR) for pain homes in on these connections and is delivered through a collaboration of different health care professionals. This approach to pain management has been shown to provide positive clinical outcomes while being cost effective over time.

Curate your multidisciplinary pain management team by seeking the care of diverse practitioners, such as a naturopathic doctor, acupuncturist, psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, and osteopathic manual therapist. These care providers can offer evidence-based pain management treatments.

Evidence-based pain treatments

Acupuncture relieves pain by encouraging the body’s own production of opiates, endorphins, and corticosteroids, and has been shown to reduce chronic low back pain.

Mind-body approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction help reduce chronic low back pain.

Hypnotherapy is effective in reducing chronic pain for some individuals.

Osteopathy is shown to be helpful in some cases of low back pain.

Music therapy is effective in lowering pain for palliative care patients.

Fight inflammation with food

An anti-inflammatory approach to eating is helpful for managing acute and chronic pain by promoting an analgesic effect. Cut back on sugar, processed foods, and trans fats, and opt for a food plan based on whole foods including fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, fish and unprocessed meats, and whole grains.

If your pain originates from the digestive tract or from an autoimmune condition, consider testing for sensitivities to gluten and other foods. Ask your naturopathic doctor for testing options and avoid these food sensitivities while healing your gut.

Easing up is wise

With acute pain, it’s particularly important to rest the painful area to reduce inflammation and allow for healing. Manage chronic pain by interspersing periods of rest throughout activities that aggravate your pain. And if you’re pain free and going about your busy day, remember to rest and stretch every once in a while to avoid fatigue and injury.

Staying active is important

It’s no surprise that exercise improves chronic pain and associated disability. On top of strengthening muscles, improving flexibility, and promoting joint stability, research suggests that exercise also increases the body’s production of pain-relieving molecules known as endocannabinoids.

Of course, when pain interferes with exercise, we have a problem! The type, intensity, and frequency of exercise that’s best for you depends on whether your pain is acute or chronic, as well as on the cause of your pain (for example, a broken bone, sciatica, or neuropathy).

Consult with a physiotherapist or kinesiologist for an individualized exercise treatment program, which has been shown to reduce pain and promote function.

Mind over matter works wonders

We can tap into the mind-body connection and use it to our advantage! Optimism is protective against day-to-day pain-related disruptions and increases goal-directed activity in older adults. Research suggests that older adults can apply cognitive pain control mechanisms to increase the efficacy of pain treatments.