Health

How to Manage and Treat Pain Conditions

Published

2 years ago

June 5, 2021

While nobody deserves to live with chronic pain, you may find yourself battling with it for months and sometimes years. Unfortunately, pain can happen anywhere in your body and be felt at any time. It can sometimes even come and go which makes it nearly impossible to deal with. To make matters worse, it can interfere with your daily activities. When it is constantly bothering you, it can also cause depression, anxiety, and trouble sleeping, making your pain even worse. Thankfully, with treatment and pain management options like nerve blocks in Austin, anyone can get relief from pain to regain their quality of life.

Sometimes, the source of the pain might be unknown, making it a massive task to treat. However, when you work with the right specialist, you will be better able to find a solution that helps make your pain manageable. If you are having trouble with frustrating pain, the following are management and treatment options at your disposal.

Physical Therapy

Exercise is among the best ways of treating pain. While it is an excellent option to consider, just be sure it is under your physician’s and physical therapist’s guidance. Remember, the same set of exercises do not work for everyone, so your expert should help you find something that works best for you, as you will need activities tailored for your specific symptoms and conditions. Maintaining the exercise routine at home will also help you gain pain relief faster.

Nerve Blocks

Nerve blocks are an excellent way of treating pain conditions, as they are known to effectively block or reduce the pain. Once your doctor injects specific medicine directly into the affected nerve that is bringing about the pain, the injection basically turns off the nerve responsible for carrying the pain information to the brain to provide much-needed pain relief.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture involves inserting thin needles into specific points depending on where the pain is coming from. The essence of this treatment is to restore balance within the body and boost healing by releasing natural pain-relieving compounds. For some, acupuncture is an excellent way of reducing how severe their pain is. Not only is it a wonderful way of maintaining the function, but it is also a way of managing the pain. Scientific evidence to back it up remains inconclusive as a medical treatment option.

Medication

Your healthcare physician will recommend the appropriate medication that will treat or relieve your pain. You might be advised to take anticonvulsants, antidepressants, muscle relaxers, opioids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, topical products that comprise pain relievers, or sedatives for assisting with anxiety or insomnia. Considering some medications might not work, especially with chronic pain, you may need an alternative treatment plan that works for you, as there is no need to keep consuming drugs when they are not helping or have undesirable side effects.

If you are not feeling well, managing your chronic pain can be a massive nightmare. Some situations, especially emotional stress, can actually make the pain worse. The last thing you need is anything interfering with your ability to work, enjoy your activities and go on with your everyday life. If you are tired of dealing with pain, be sure to consult a pain specialist at Republic Spine & Pain to receive the treatment needed to live a more comfortable life.

Health

How to Help Your Child if You Think They Might Have Autism

Published

5 days ago

February 3, 2023

Michelle Langton

Do you suspect your child might have autism, but you’re not sure? While only a professional diagnosis can tell you for sure, there are many ways you can support your child while you get a diagnosis and create a plan.

Here are some of the best ways to support a child you think might have autism.

Try a variety of therapies

While you’re in the process of getting a formal diagnosis, start trying different therapies with your child to see if anything resonates with your child. Every child with autism is different, so what works for one person may not work for another. There are several types of therapy you can try that are low-cost or free, including play therapy, speech therapy, floortime, ABA therapy, and more.

Although your child will need a formal Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis to get ABA therapy, it’s worth noting that once you have a diagnosis, you can get in-home therapy, which will make things easier on you and your child. Organizations like Golden Care Therapy in New Jersey will send an ABA therapist to your home to work with your child in their own environment. Getting in-home therapy will reduce the stress your child may feel from being in a new and unfamiliar place.

The more therapies you try, the better chance you have of getting a head start in supporting your child, whether or not they get diagnosed with autism.

Get your child some sensory toys

Kids with autism need to stim, which is just a fancy way of saying they need something to stimulate their senses in a way that allows them to mitigate and disburse the sensory overload they’re feeling. Without toys, kids will find ways to stim using just their bodies and their surroundings, but toys can be extremely helpful and less damaging depending on your child.

Every child is different, so it might take a bit to find toys they like. However, you can find some excellent suggestions from The Aspie World on YouTube. Some toys spin, squish, make noise, or are a series of magnets that can be reshaped. If your child is already fixated on certain types of toys, try to find something that matches their existing interest. For example, if they like soft textures, find some plush toys with a velvety-smooth texture. Try all types of toys to see if they help your child.

Seek a professional diagnosis

Getting a professional diagnosis is the best way you can support your child when you think they might have autism. Once you have a diagnosis, that opens the door to getting services that will help them immensely. Not just while they’re young, but it will help them in their adult life, too. For example, if your child moves out on their own, and they struggle with self-care and household chores, they’ll need a professional diagnosis to get in-home services from the state.

A professional diagnosis will tell you if your child is on the autism spectrum, or if they have a different disorder. Depending on the therapist you choose, they’ll likely be able to diagnose your child with any relevant comorbidities, which are common with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Learn about autism

Next to getting your child professionally diagnosed, learning about autism will help you support your child in many ways. There are many misconceptions about autism that can make it hard to spot the signs of autism. One of the best people to learn from is Tony Attwood. He’s considered the leading expert on Autism Spectrum Disorder and is extremely knowledgeable.

One of the most important things you can learn from Attwood is how to spot Autism in girls. For various reasons, it’s harder to spot autism in girls and some girls don’t get diagnosed until they’re in their 40s. Attwood gave an excellent talk about Asperger’s in girls back in 2015, and you’ll learn a lot from this speech.

Although Attwood’s speech focuses on Asperger’s, it is part of the autism spectrum. As a diagnosis, Asperger’s has been officially merged into the diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Support your child in every way you can

When you suspect your child might have autism, it’s important to support them in every way possible. While you’re seeking a professional diagnosis, start trying simple solutions, like play therapy and toys for stimming. See how they respond. Once you get a diagnosis, your child’s therapist will suggest next steps to help your child long-term.