A new way of looking at pain, and why movement may be better than pills – Telegraph.co.uk

Four in 10 British adults are in chronic pain, meaning they are experiencing discomfort for more than three months at a time. Bad backs, headaches and cramps are often to blame, and for one in 10, they are in so much pain it is severely disabling.

Traditionally doctors might prescribe painkillers to help these sufferers. But new guidance from NICE suggests that doctors should do away with recommending opioid drugs as well as paracetamol and ibuprofen for people who have been in discomfort for a long period. These drugs could do more harm than good when taken over the long-term, and patients should instead look to exercise, antidepressants and acupuncture to manage their condition.

In recent years, several different treatments have been shown to be effective for pain management. Here are some of them...

Keeping active has multiple parallel effects that help to reduce or manage chronic pain, says Dr Andreas Goebel, Director of the Pain Research Institute at the University of Liverpool. He says that many people may believe that complete rest is the best thing to do when they are in pain, but this is not often the case.

Exercise releases endorphins, which are the bodys natural painkillers, so your pain levels could be lowered almost immediately. There are also longer-term benefits too, such as strengthening of muscles, which could help to treat the source of some joint pain.

Exercise also reduces inflammation in the body, which can often be the source of chronic pain. Dr Goebel says that animal studies show that being sedentary after an injury can put you in greater pain than continuing to be active. [The inactive rats have] raised inflammatory markers, so it looks like exercise rebalances your body, he says.

But dont push yourself, of course: straining yourself in the gym can cause further injury and pain. Low-impact activities like swimming or walking may be best.

NICE says doctors should also consider acupuncture to treat chronic pain. The practice originates from ancient Chinese medicine, but the type prescribed by the NHS follows a Western medical style. The NHS recommends that a course of sessions is more effective than a one-off treatment.

It may not work for all forms of chronic pain, but can be effective for those with back or neck issues, or headaches.

Acupuncture is thought to work by stimulating specific nerves, which causes the body to release endorphins, which can naturally dull pain. Trained acupuncturists can help to reduce pain by 50 per cent, according to a 2012 meta-analysis.

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A new way of looking at pain, and why movement may be better than pills - Telegraph.co.uk