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What is the Best Pain Relief?

B. Miller
B. Miller

The best pain relief ultimately depends on the type of pain experienced, as well as the cause of the pain. For many people, over-the-counter pain relievers may be the best option for temporary pain treatment. Other people may find natural cures, such as exercise, rest, or taking a hot bath to be effective methods of pain relief. To begin, determine the cause of the pain, and if it is necessary to visit a doctor or if the pain can be resolved on its own.

If using an over-the-counter pain reliever, determine if it is necessary to take an oral pain reliever, or whether a topical treatment will work. Topical pain relievers may be effective against pain from toothaches or skin abrasions, for example. Whether using oral or topical pain relief, be sure to follow all of the directions carefully on the package.

Drinking water can relief pain by hydrating the body.
Drinking water can relief pain by hydrating the body.

If muscles are sore from a workout or from repetitive motion, many people find effective pain relief by soaking in a warm bath or taking a hot shower. In addition, using a heating pad on a sore muscle will often help as well. The heat from the bath, shower, or heating pad effectively relaxes tense muscles without the use of medication. Remember to stretch, warm up, and cool down before and after exercising every time to prevent muscle injury and pain. Many people find yoga to be an effective way to stretch sore muscles, increase strength to prevent injury, and reduce tension-causing stress.

Oral pain medication can offer relief.
Oral pain medication can offer relief.

Headaches can also be persistent and difficult to get rid of. Because many come from tension and stress, a headache may be helped by doing some simple stretches, taking some deep breaths, or taking a short break and going for a walk. Staying hydrated by drinking water or decaffeinated tea may also help with headaches. If the headache is a migraine, it may be necessary to rest in a dark room to help with light sensitivity and pain relief.

If muscles are sore from a workout or repetitive motion, a hot shower can bring relief.
If muscles are sore from a workout or repetitive motion, a hot shower can bring relief.

If pain is persistent or debilitating, and over-the-counter pain relievers or natural methods do not help, a doctor might recommend other avenues of treatment. These might include prescription pain relievers, physical therapy, or even surgery. If exploring these avenues, be sure to ask any questions regarding treatment, and to fully understand what the expected outcome will be. Though it may be possible to lessen pain with physical therapy or surgery, depending on the condition, it may still always be present depending on the particular cause.

Discussion Comments

istria

Does anyone have any remedies for chronic hip pain relief? My wife is always complaining about her hip hurting after long days at work. If anyone knows of any remedies or exercises, I would love to hear them. Thank you to any wiseGEEKS who can help.

aplenty

The best muscle pain relief is preventing the pain from happening in the first place. If you are experiencing delayed onset muscle pain often, you may want to examine your routine and see if there are any areas that you can make preventative changes.

The three most important preventative measures to preventing delayed onset pain is to warm-up, cool-down, and only make gradual changes to your routine. Your warm-up should consist of a full body stretch and high reps with low weights. The goal is to increase vasodilation, muscle temperature, and heart rate slowly. After your exercise, you should do gentle stretching and a cool down period of aerobic exercise. When you are incorporating new items to your routine, you should incorporate these changes gradually over a couple of workouts, and increases in weight or time should be made in ten percent increments.

anon61580

the most effective topical pain reliever i've used is from bartenblends.

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    • Drinking water can relief pain by hydrating the body.
      By: studiovespa
      Drinking water can relief pain by hydrating the body.
    • Oral pain medication can offer relief.
      By: guysagne
      Oral pain medication can offer relief.
    • If muscles are sore from a workout or repetitive motion, a hot shower can bring relief.
      By: carol_anne
      If muscles are sore from a workout or repetitive motion, a hot shower can bring relief.
    • Some herbs and supplements have anti-inflammatory properties that can help alleviate pain.
      By: Alliance
      Some herbs and supplements have anti-inflammatory properties that can help alleviate pain.
    • An electric heating pad may be used to provide pain relief.
      By: nito
      An electric heating pad may be used to provide pain relief.
    • Clove oil is a common herbal remedy that can be used to quickly numb a toothache.
      By: Eléonore H
      Clove oil is a common herbal remedy that can be used to quickly numb a toothache.
    • Taking a hot bath to be effective methods of pain relief.
      By: Gennadiy Poznyakov
      Taking a hot bath to be effective methods of pain relief.