Most individuals complain of some degree of pain or discomfort on a regular basis throughout their adult lives, whether it is headaches, neck pain, toothaches, joint pains, or muscle aches. Chronic pain commonly leads to psychological distress including anxiety and depression.

Below you will find listed a number of facts that many people overlook when thinking about the experience of pain, including how common it actually is:

• About 20% of the total population who suffers from pain have it regularly and about 70% of those have sought professional help.
• Pain does not usually simply go away as you age. Steps must be taken to identify the causes of your pain and counteract them.
• Women experience chronic pain more frequently than men.
• Most people currently suffering from chronic pain will have already had this experience for more than three years.
• Back pain is the most commonly reported type of pain, and is one of the most common reasons for people to miss work.

However, there are healthy ways that you can learn to manage pain and prevent it from progressing into more severe conditions. If you are one of those people who suffers mild pain, then the tips below may be of assistance.

• The first thing that you can do is to try out herbal alternatives. These are very safe and often free from side effects, but are usually only effective for mild and transient aches and pains.
• The use of over-the-counter pain medications like NSAIDs can help reduce pain temporarily.
• Good exercise and stretching, such as yoga, tai chi, or weight training can be attempted depending on your current degree of physical vitality.

If you are suffering from chronic, severe pain, then you should visit your physician and ask about some of the advanced pain management techniques that may be available to you. These include:

• Small doses of steroids may be given for the alleviation of severe, short-term pain.
• For fast relief of severe pain, doctors might give opioid medications.
• Spinal decompression, or in less severe cases, at-home spinal inversion therapy may be prescribed.
• Physical therapy can be immensely helpful in building up the correct muscular support to alleviate undue strain on your joints, connectors, and other muscle groups.