It's a sad fact that pain will affect everyone at some point in their life. Yet, there are more than 10 million people in the UK who have to deal with pain almost every single day of their lives. Fortunately, you needn't live your life in acute pain and there are certain products you can use to make day-to-day life more comfortable. Whatever the cause of your pain, from earache to muscular pain, we explore the best ways to deal with day-to-day pain management along with the causes of different types of pain.
Headaches
Headaches are a common occurrence and most of the time they're not serious. Although if you suffer with headaches regularly, you should speak to your GP to check that it's not a symptom of a different illness. Headaches can occur for a number of reasons including physical exertion, dehydration, stress or even just the environment.
Often, having a nap or even just a rest from a computer or phone screen can alleviate a headache, or simple pain relief tablets can help. If you do take painkillers, make sure you speak to a pharmacist if you're currently taking any other medication or suffer with allergies. You should also ensure that you're getting plenty of sleep, exercise and eating the right foods.
Stomach pain
Generally speaking, a digestive issue such as bloating, constipation, trapped wind or diarrhea usually causes stomach pain. More often than not, it's brought on by something you've eaten or stress. However, if you're suffering from sudden and severe stomach pain, you should get it checked out by a GP as soon as possible.
Joint pain
In most instances, joint pain is caused by injury or arthritis. If you've injured a joint, make sure you rest the area and avoid any further stress to it. If you're suffering with arthritis related pain, you can use a topical gel such as Flexiseq to reduce the inflammation and combat stiffness in the joints.
Earache
An earache can be caused by various factors but it's normally a simple infection, glue ear or a build up of wax. A pharmacist will be able to recommend ear drops for the pain, or you can try placing a warm flannel over the ear to alleviate the pain, just make sure you don't get any water in the ear.
Back pain
Back pain is normally a result of strain on the spine from vigorous exercise or poor posture. With short-term back pain, it can generally be treated with painkillers and hot or cold packs. It's also important that you consider your sleeping position whilst recovering from a minor back injury. If your back pain is more severe or chronic, speak to a doctor or pharmacist about your other options for pain management.
If you're suffering with chronic pain, speak to a pharmacist to discuss your current pain management plan.