Have you woken up in pain? Suddenly done something and your back/neck/other body part has “gone” and now its really painful to move? You might even have some swelling or heat in that area? That sounds like acute pain!
Here are our 4 tips to get you started in the first 24-72 hours after onset! (You can continue and repeat these pieces of advice while the pain improves!)
- Hot and cold packs! Which one? We would always recommend starting with cold packs in the initial 24 hours in order to reduce swelling, improve inflammation and ease pain.
A cold pack should always be wrapped in a cover/tea towel to avoid blistering of the skin (this can be a damp tea towel if the cold isn’t coming through enough) – aim for 5-15 minutes 2-4 times a day. Hourly cold packs can also be really beneficial in severe acute pain episodes.
Alternating hot and cold packs – this can be effective at helping to ease muscle tension while improving inflammation in the local area.
(As Osteopaths we are unable to advise on pain relief so if you feel this could be beneficial please have chat with a pharmacist or your GP/nurse practitioner)
2. Little and Often movement can really go a long way in reducing inflammation. When we sit inflammation can settle within the joints and make us feel stiffer when we get up to move. Aiming to move every 20-30 minutes can really help!
Moving for you at the moment may just mean changing position, breathing a little deeper practicing diaphragm breathing and gentle movements on your bed/in your seat
3. Adaptations are key for supporting acute pain! Lets help your body move within its pain free range for now
This might look like:
- your seat in the car
- do you need a stool at the sink for the time being?
- do you feel better on a soft/harder chair? stick to the easiest one for now
- breathing out as you move, this can help reduce pressure and load within the body (look at diaphragm breathing!)
- your desk set up (have you thought about how you could create a sit/stand set up?)
- commute times (do you need more breaks?)
- Placing a pillow between the knees at night can help to reduce the load on the low back
- make things accessible at home
- asking for help or additional support from your employer/team/network/community with your mental/physical load? (even if only for the short term!)
4. Manage your mind!
Being in pain is frustrating, especially when we have acute pain as no one has time in their life for it! However, this is often an indicator on our health and capacity for stress. You might need to breathe out a little deeper and relax your jaw (this may or may not include some colourful where appropriate!)
These are questions we often ask to help you review your nervous system health
- Am I making time to rest?
- Am I breathing shallow or deep?
- How am I giving to me? ie vitamins, downtime, moving your body, journalling, asking for help, offloading to a friend/therapist?
- When is the last time I had some fun?
- How is my sleep?
- How is my water intake?
So for the first 24 hours you can proactively improve your acute pain episode using regularly cold packs, moving your body/changing position little and often, include adaptations to support your daily life and manage your mind – where can I reduce my stress and promote healing?
Not improving how you had hoped? Get in touch with our team for a support call! Email us on info@oliverwellbeing.co.uk and we can book a time one of our team can give you a call to discuss any advice or how can help!