Tools to help with pain

2 min read

• Pain

The reality of chronic pain is that it can drastically affect the daily lives of those suffering. In addition to physical discomfort, chronic pain can also lead to anxiety, depression, and insomnia. While there are many pharmacological options available to treat chronic pain, there are also a number of non-pharmacological options that can be helpful in managing the condition.

Non-pharmacological options to improve pain

There are many different non-pharmacological options that can be helpful in managing chronic pain. These include things like:

• Exercise;

• Diet and nutrition;

• Stress management, meditation, hypnosis, cognitive-behavioural interventions;

• Acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage therapy, etc.

Each of these modalities can be helpful in managing chronic pain, but also each person will respond differently to different treatments, so it is important to work with a healthcare provider to find the best approach for you.

Apps to help with pain

There are a number of apps available that can help people with chronic pain manage their condition. Some apps provide information and education about chronic pain, while others offer tools for tracking symptoms and progress. Still, other apps focus on relaxation and stress relief.

While there is not one perfect app for everyone, there are a number of options available that can be helpful in managing chronic pain.

Manage My Pain is a commercially-available digital chronic pain treatment companion with clinical validation and has one of the largest datasets for reported pain outcomes. Manage My Pain helps you and others better understand what you are going through. It has helped thousands of people with conditions like fibromyalgia, headaches, arthritis, or back pain better understand their symptoms and provide evidence of their pain to their doctors, insurance companies, or government agencies. The app will help you record how you're feeling by easily describing your pain in less than 30 seconds.

Manage My Pain

ManagingLife, Inc.

Free

In-app purchases

Branch health app helps patients with pain by providing data tracking, interactive wellness content, social support, and rewards. The app is easy to use and offers a variety of features to help patients manage their pain. These features include tracking pain levels, medication usage, treatments, mood, sleep patterns, and more. The app also integrates with Apple HealthKit to seamlessly gain insights on how pain impacts movement and heart rate. In addition, the app offers community support and educational content on pain management.

Branch Health

Upside Health, Inc.

Free

Conclusion

There are many different non-pharmacological options that can be helpful in managing chronic pain. These include things like exercise, diet and nutrition, stress management, meditation, hypnosis, cognitive-behavioural interventions, acupuncture, chiropractic care, and massage therapy. Each of these modalities can be helpful in managing chronic pain.

Apps may help with one or more of these options, so people with chronic pain and with good digital literacy are good candidates to try out either of the pain apps available and could well benefit from it.