Osteoporosis makes your bones prone to fractures. Fractures are very painful and will take months to heal. If the pain persists even after the fracture is healed, then the pain is considered chronic pain. Vertebrae fractures can cause intense pain and may even cause muscle spasms.
In this article, we are discussing some pain management methods for osteoporosis. Read below to find them out.
Physical Methods For Osteoporosis Pain Management
You have to consult a doctor and the professional can provide you with medications and other instructions to manage osteoporosis. You can use these methods as an add-on to what your doctor has already prescribed.
Heat And Ice Packs
A warm shower or application of hot packs can help you relieve pain and can help reduce muscle stiffness. The application of ice packs can also provide pain relief. The pain-sensing nerves present in the affected area are numbed by the ice pack and thereby you can find relief from pain.
You can try both hot and cold packs and find out which works better for you. Apply any one of the packs for 15 minutes at a time to the pain-affected area. Rather than directly placing the hot or cold pack on your skin, you can use a towel in between.
Exercise
Leading a sedentary lifestyle can cause weakness and make your muscles lose strength and mass. Exercises can increase the levels of endorphins in your body which can offer slight pain relief. Exercising regularly can reduce fatigue, strengthen your muscles, increase your flexibility, relieve tension, help you to regain strength, and provides you with ample energy. Exercises are good but you should take care not to overdo them. This is because an intense workout might make things worse.
Physical Therapy
To prevent further injuries, physical therapists can assist you in organizing your living or working space. Physical therapists also instruct their patients on good posture and exercises to build up their back and abdominal muscle strength without harming their spines. For example, water therapy in a pool helps strengthen back muscles and lessen pain.
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy is also an effective solution for relieving pain related to osteoporosis and can relax stiff muscles. This therapy increases blood supply to the problematic area which can help to smooth out muscle knots. If you are diagnosed with spinal osteoporosis, you should take care not to do deep muscle massage near the spine.
