Pain Management: Little Things Go a Long Way In Preventing Chronic Pain

Trauma injuries and diseases like cancer, diabetes, shingles, and arthritis can cause people to suffer from chronic pain. However, most people have chronic pain due to years of strain and damage to the body. A person’s body may be damaged from paying sports and even in ordinary daily activities. As one ages, simple activities such as sitting in an office chair all day without stretching the muscles at different times of the cay can contribute to chronic pain. Standing for long periods of time and years of improper posture also can cause dame to the body. As a rule, anything that puts excessive or constant strain on the body can become a source of chronic pain later on in life.

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Constant and repetitive activities which are seemingly not strenuous like using a computer for several hours can cause muscle and joint pains especially in the neck, shoulders, arms, and wrists. What can we do then to avoid chronic pain when the activities causing it are important to our work and in our lives? The answer is pain management.

Pain management does not only refer to the treatment of aches and pains. It also involves the application of measures and techniques in handling pain and avoiding damage to the body. For instance, using pads to support forearms and shoulders while using a computer have proven to be very effective in reducing muscle pain and tension especially in the neck and shoulders. Various other pain management techniques may also be used such as aligning the computer monitor to the proper eye level. This prevents straining the neck too much. Adjusting the height of the computer table is also important so that the arms and wrists can comfortably rest on the working surface. To avoid straining the back and shoulders, the chair may also be adjusted to a more comfortable height.

Sometimes, using the mouse and the keyboard can add strain and cause pain to the wrists and arms as well. Using a wrist pad or adjusting the distances of the mouse and keyboard to your body will usually minimize the discomfort. It is equally important to stand up, walk around a bit and do stretching exercise once every few hours. Also, keeping your back straight and maintaining the correct and proper posture when working on a computer will alleviate back pain. In fact, having good posture all day will do wonders for your pain. Keep in mind that these little things which seem so trivial will go a long way in managing or even preventing chronic pain.

It is a fact that chronic pain affects worker efficiency and productivity. Pain also affects a person's disposition, mood, and work ethic. Industries like call centers, companies which are into software development and other offices whose employees are constantly working in front of computers will enjoy more output and greater productivity if they invest in proper facilities and equipment which promote pain-free working conditions.